Moving Forward
by Sakura Namida
Summary: Oliver Davis was many things – paranormal researcher, qi-gong expert, world-famous psychokinesis user – but he drew the line at babysitter. Luella Davis has plans for her son and his friends. Read on to see what kind. MaixNaru, TakigawaXAyako, LinXMadoka, Possible other relationships to appear.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello! Welcome to my personal take on Ghost Hunt. I try very hard to make my writing as neat and readable as possible, so if you ever see a mistake or something that seems wrong to you, please don't hesitate to let me know. I promise I will fix it. I've been gobbling up Ghost Hunt fanfiction this week just about as much as I've been gobbling up turkey, and tonight I was inspired to add my own take on the story into the mix. Please feel free to leave me a review. In particular, I'd like to know what everyone thinks about my characterization? Am I doing okay...or does everyone seem completely out of character? All feedback helps, so thanks in advance! Also, this is a part of a much larger story, and although I have vague ideas about where I want it to go, this is all I have written so far. I'm often quite busy, so updating will likely be sporadic, but I am going to do my best to be reasonable about them.**

 **Disclaimer: Now. I am ONLY going to say this once. I do NOT own Ghost Hunt or anything even remotely related to it. Believe me, I wish I did. But alas, dreams are fleeting things. :D**

 **And without further ado, please enjoy:**

Chapter 1

Oliver Davis was many things – paranormal researcher, qi-gong expert, world-famous psychokinesis user – but he drew the line at _babysitter_.

It was all Lin's fault, too. Lin, who'd gone and told his parents all about his time in Japan, including all about his perky brunette assistant. That had been the catalyst. The glimmer he'd seen in his mother's eyes when she'd realized that maybe her son had a heart after all. He'd known right then that it would spell trouble, and he hadn't been disappointed.

His mother had spent ages trying to set him up with every available female near his age in her acquaintance (no doubt in an attempt to inspire some form of social interest in him). And when that had failed…well, she'd resorted to _other_ tactics. She'd caged him into an entirely unpleasant dinner with one of the new researchers at SPR. That had ended quickly. He hadn't even sat down, in fact, preferring to turn around and walk right out of the restaurant. And now, apparently, they were here.

"It'd just be for a few hours, Noll!" She pleaded. Luella Martin was a damn good persuader (she had persuaded her work-a-holic husband to marry her, after all, and she'd managed to get Noll to like her), but sometimes her adopted son behaved like a brick wall.

"No." Noll answered flatly. He saw his mother's proposal for what it was. She'd started out with an admittedly luring possibility – a new case – and then informed him that in order to go on said case, he'd have to also mind the client's ten year old child. Noll didn't do children, and his mother knew that, but she also knew how frustrated he had become since he'd been banned from going on any cases since he and Lin had returned from Japan. The rage had been building for the better part of a year and a half now, and it was getting to the point where he knew he'd blow a top soon. He was so tired of not being out in the field that he _almost_ considered her terrible offer, catch and all.

And his mother could sense his moods. He knew she saw the hesitation on his face. He couldn't do it though. Oliver Davis did not do children. "I have work to do." He hissed, rising from the breakfast table in favor of his study.

* * *

Luella gave an exasperated huff of annoyance as her son stalked out of the room. She was running out of ideas. Ever since Noll had come back from Japan, after the funeral, he'd been…depressed. He'd secluded himself further away and hardly interacted with anyone outside of his immediate family or close colleagues. He'd never been a social butterfly, but he hadn't been this bad, either. She was growing worried for her son. She'd already lost one child, she couldn't bear to lose another.

Of course, she'd known Noll would _never_ agree to babysit someone's child. That was so far beyond his scope of knowledge it was laughable. She'd just needed him to react…some hint that he wanted a family, a life outside of his work. To all eyes but hers, he clearly didn't. They'd all told her as much. Martin, Lin, Noll himself, even Madoka had made it plain that she thought Oliver Davis would only ever rely on his work. But Luella was a psychologist by trade and knew that such isolation, particularly after Gene's death, was unhealthy.

When they'd returned from Japan and Madoka and Lin had filled her in on all of the people they'd worked on cases with – including the (according to _both_ Lin and Madoka) "quite charming" Mai Taniyama, well, she'd begun to hope that maybe they were all wrong. Thus her quest had begun.

"I warned you, Luella." Madoka sighed, coming into the room and settling into the chair beside Noll's adopted mother.

"Yes," Luella agreed tiredly, "You did. I just thought if I threw him a chance at a case, he'd at least consider it."

Madoka nodded in understanding. "It was a good try. I'm sad to see him so…reclusive. He was so much more open, in Japan."

Luella sighed. She'd give anything to see her son like that. "I wish I could help him." She told the younger woman.

Madoka patted her arm comfortingly. "I think you'd have to send him to Japan to accomplish that." The younger woman replied sadly. They both knew that would never happen. Oliver Davis had a life in Britain, a life he'd left when he'd gone rushing off to Japan, and it wasn't something he could just drop, no matter how badly the young man might want to. He'd done it once, and he was still suffering the consequences of those actions even now. His case-ban and regulated schedule being only a small taste of them.

Luella looked out the window. She gazed out at the garden, looking at the Cherry tree. And then the idea struck her. "Madoka!" She breathed, excited. Yes. She had a plan now. Something that even Noll couldn't refuse. But she couldn't do it all on her own.

The younger woman looked at her in shocked amusement. She raised a single eyebrow, a gesture she'd obviously learned from her boyfriend. "What is it?" She asked.

"I have an idea!" Luella said, smiling mischievously. "Can you get a hold of Lin for me?" The question was, of course, rhetorical. Madoka laughed and pulled out her phone, pressing the speed dial button for her boyfriend.

Noll sat in his chair behind his desk, an open book before him, but his eyes not comprehending the words on the page. A cup of tea sat steaming on a coaster beside him, but he ignored it. For some reason his favorite beverage had become much less delicious lately. He tried not to dwell too hard on why that might be.

A strange, and difficult, proposition for a scientist such as himself. Answering questions was what he lived for. Practically literally. But he always shied away from asking too many questions when it came to his own moods, especially lately. He'd known that things would be different, now that he was back. With Gene gone, how could they not be? But he hadn't anticipated this.

Most unsettling of all, he knew that much of what was bothering him had nothing at all to do with his twin, and more to do with an (admittedly pretty) brunette he'd left back in Japan. He stopped himself right there. Oliver Davis was _not_ interested in romance, relationships or anything of that nature. He didn't miss Mai, he decided. He just missed her tea.

If he allowed himself to think about it any further he often realized he missed them all. Takigawa, Miss Matsuzaki, Miss Hara, Father Brown. Even Yasuhara. He'd hated all of their goofing off and ridiculous antics, but now that he was back here…he found that he missed it.

Oliver grabbed his teacup and drained the hot and bitter liquid in a single gulp. He picked up his book and returned to the invigorating subject matter it offered. Time to stop living in the past and focus on the present, he decided.

* * *

As the temperature in the room plummeted, Mai Taniyama knew what she was in for. She turned around slowly and faced the angry apparition before her. "Please! Mr. Takanada! We're here to help you pass on." It was pointless, pleading with a hostile spirit like this. And she knew that, but she also knew what came next, and she hated going to that option if she could in any way avoid it.

The chair in the corner of the room rose a foot off of the floor, as did many of the other pieces of furniture in the room. Purely on instinct, Mai ducked. She managed to avoid most of the heavy objects that floated around, but several of the lighter objects ended up landing _on_ her, adding a nice group of bruises to her ever-growing collection.

"Mai!" She heard Bou-san yell from the other side of the door.

"I'm alright!" She shouted back. Well…alright-ish. She still had an angry spirit to deal with. "Your brother wasn't the one who killed you, Mr. Takanada!" She shouted. Abruptly the room went still. She waited a breath, just to be sure, and then rose slowly to her knees. The spirit of Mr. Takanada – a long-deceased doctor – stood and stared, evidently waiting for an explanation.

"The fire was an accident!" She explained gently. "Your brother hadn't realized you were in there, or he never would have started it! He assumed you were back at the hotel with your wife!"

"If it was an accident, why did he marry _my wife_ three months later?!" The apparition demanded. The temperature in the room dropped even further.

Mai shivered. "Because she was pregnant with your child!" She told him. "She was pregnant and alone and needed someone to rely on, and he didn't want your child to grow up without a father!"

Even though it was the truth, it wasn't enough to console the malevolent spirit. The door to the room splintered apart and Bou-san and John rushed in, chanting until the spirit of Mr. Takanada dissipated.

"I'm fine." She assured both anxious men as they came rushing over to her.

"Let's get you back to base." Bou-san said, carefully helping the young woman to her feet.

Despite her declaration, Mai was anything but fine. She hadn't been able to talk Mr. Takanada into passing on, and this case was dragging on too long. He'd almost killed thirteen people, and four of his victims were still in intensive care. It was time to move to their last resort.

* * *

When he finally returned to his apartment later that night – after one of the most exhausting exorcisms he'd ever been a part of, Houshou Takigawa was floored to find a message on his answering machine…from Lin. But even stranger than that, was the request the onmiyouji made of his former colleague.

The pony-tail wearing monk sank onto the couch and considered what he'd just learned. It was certainly not what he'd expected to hear from Lin…assuming he'd ever hear from Lin again. Takigawa groaned in frustration, and then, giving up, picked up his phone and dialed Ayako.

He remembered belatedly that she was working a double shift at the hospital and wasn't home, so he left her a message explaining the situation and asked her to call him back.

He wanted to call the others too, but he figured he'd get her input first, before they did anything drastic. It amazed him, how much he'd come to rely on the fiery priestess in the last year or so.

When Naru – Oliver, he reminded himself – and Lin had left for England, likely never to return, Takigawa had assumed that their little band of paranormal-hunting misfits would disband and go their separate ways.

Boy was he glad to have been proven wrong. Not even a month after the two men were gone, Mai had come to him with the thrilling idea of continuing their paranormal activities. They'd had to move offices, of course, and they'd had to convince everyone to stick around until they got the money situation figured out, but it had been surprisingly easy. No one had said a word against it. Ayako had even pitched in with money, and Masako had "lent" them some old equipment that she'd always conveniently "forget" to take back with her. They'd kept the name SPR and thanks to the reputation they'd built up with Naru – Oliver! – and Lin's help, they'd gained even more clients in the year and a half since. Mai worked at the place full-time, plus she was attending university (Ayako's condition for paying into their new business) and everyone else was there when they were available. Which, he realized, turned out to be quite often. The cases where someone was unavailable were actually quite rare. As were the cases where someone didn't end up hurt (usually it was Mai).

But, he supposed, that was all part of the job description when it came to their line of work. Still, he worried about Mai these days. She wasn't the same since…Oliver and Lin had left. She'd tried to hide it, but the girl was a terrible liar. Takigawa just wasn't sure what exactly it was that was bothering her. All of them had tried various methods to get her to spill, but nothing had worked, and eventually they'd moved on. But that didn't keep him, or any of the others, from worrying about her.

He sighed and thought again of the strange request his Chinese friend had made. Takigawa paused for a brief second to realize that he had indeed referred to the stoic man as his friend, and that he honestly meant it. He still couldn't believe that message, though. Something must have really changed, for the stoic man to make a request like this. He just hoped that whatever this new situation was, Mai didn't end up on the wrong end of it. Somehow, he had a terrible feeling that she would.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello my lovely readers and welcome to another chapter of my interpretation of Ghost Hunt's continuation. Hopefully this'll be good. I do hope so! I have to confess, this story has snowballed beyond the original scope I had planned for it, and as I write this I'm considering different plots for each character (beyond the respective romantic plots that will of course be weaved throughout) if you guys ever feel like I'm not making sense or I'm going in too many directions, please let me know. As always, reviews, Favs, and Follows are always welcome. So, read on to see what's going to happen next:**

Chapter 2

It was an orphanage. Warm and inviting against the winter chill, but it was still a children's home, and the taint of loneliness and abandonment still permeated the place. His body moved of its own accord, down a narrow hallway and into a lively play room filled to the brim with screaming, rowdy children. The last place on the planet that Lin Koujo ever wanted to find himself.

But then his attention drifted to the most unusual sight he'd ever seen, a sight that nearly made his heart stop in his chest. Sitting quietly in one of the corners of the room was a toddler, reading a book. It took his mind a moment to register that the boy held a picture book, and that was a small kind of comfort, because the way the boy was positioned…the seriousness in his posture…it didn't fit the mold of the typical toddler.

Lin felt untethered to reality in that moment. He looked at the small boy and noted the similarities to two other young men he knew. The dark hair, the erect posture. And then the boy looked up, and Lin felt a shiver of ice run down his back. Those Sapphire eyes. Oh, he knew those eyes.

"Hello, Lin." The toddler said pleasantly.

That comment cinched this as the oddest, most unnerving dream that the onmiyouji had ever experienced. "Noll?" He asked, hoping it _was_ all just a dream.

The child looked at him angrily for a moment, and then shook his head. It was a disturbingly grown-up gesture. "No." He said simply.

Lin took several long moments to sort out this bizarre dream. "But…Naru…Noll, I mean, told me that you'd already moved on. He assured me he'd felt you pass on not long after we found your body."

"I did." Eugene Davis confirmed.

"Gene…how…I don't understand…" Lin tried, grasping at some sort of semblance of cohesion.

"I know. I'll explain it all to you one day, but first, I need you to come find me, Lin. Come find me, and bring me home." Gene said, his gentle, child-tone a pleading cry.

"Bring you home?" Lin repeated, completely lost.

"Back to England, of course!" The child said, laughing. "Come find me, Lin, please." He repeated.

And then, to Lin's utter frustration and disappointment, his dream faded away. The irritating echoing of his alarm clock entered his senses and he forced himself to sit up in bed.

"Time to go to the airport?" Madoka asked sleepily from beside him.

"Yeah." He confirmed, rising to dress.

* * *

Oliver entered the dining room for breakfast later that morning and found that he'd been the subject of discussion. No sooner did he step into the doorway that all conversation in the room abruptly stopped. He quirked an eyebrow at the three in the room, and walked nonchalantly over to his usual seat.

"Good morning, dear." His mother greeted. "We were just discussing something we thought you might like to know."

Noll raised his eyebrow once more. Oliver Davis speak for _what?_

"Your father has agreed to let you go on a case this weekend with Madoka and himself!" She exclaimed.

The knot in his stomach, the tension in his whole body let up somewhat. Finally. He knew he should be suspicious of whatever it was his mother was planning, but he finally had a chance to go out and _do_ something _useful_. He wasn't about to press his luck.

"What kind of case?" He asked, feigning disinterest. Of course everyone in the room (his mother and father and Madoka) all knew that it was an act. But he did still have a reputation to maintain.

"Apparently there have been a lot of accidents and an old hotel in Dover. The place has been completely quiet for the last half a century, and in the last six months it has had hundreds of sightings, four different accidents, and plenty of collateral damage." His father replied. He was like a zookeeper holding out a juicy steak to a hungry tiger.

Noll pounced…figuratively. "I'll take it." He said, after several long minutes. As soon as he said it, he felt the tension in the room ease up.

"That's wonderful, darling!" His mother enthused. "But you have to promise me you'll be careful?"

He sighed like the teenage he was supposed to be. "I will, mother." She beamed at him.

"Well then, best hurry up and get packed." His father added. "I don't want to lose too much time."

"What about Lin?" Noll asked, curious about the Chinese man's unusual absence.

"Oh, Lin had a family emergency and had to fly home for a few days." Madoka said, shrugging. She didn't seemed very pleased, angry perhaps. Not that that was a surprise, given how things had gone last time. Lin's family had been…unpleasant, when they'd been introduced to her over the last Christmas season. From what Noll had heard about the matter from Lin…things had gotten quite out of hand, and the couple had had to return to England earlier than they'd planned.

He finished his breakfast and headed upstairs to pack, thinking over the unusual conversation. This hadn't been the first time that conversations ceased when he walked into a room, but it was the first time that he felt a shift in everyone's mood. He just couldn't identify what kind of shift that was. And then there was everyone's behavior. It hadn't been unusual per say, but there had been something about the whole situation that felt…off somehow. Frustrated, Oliver returned to his packing and decided to return all of his attention to his first case in better than a year and a half.

* * *

"Delivery for SPR?" The mailman called through the door. It was Yasu who answered it and took the package the man held.

"Mai!" He called, "Your books are here."

It was several minutes before Mai exited her office, and Yasu had already begun opening the extraordinarily heavy box.

He looked at the books inside and gave a low whistle. It was a lot of material from notable minds. _The Roots of Coincidence, Learning to use Extra-sensory perception,_ and _Parapsychology: Frontier Science of the Mind._ All well-known works for anyone interested in the field of parapsychology. The further he dug into the box the more books he found. A couple were even by Oliver Davis himself.

Yasu set those aside nonchalantly and moved on to other works. There was no way he was entering into the minefield known as the "Naru" discussion. Not that Mai had been particularly forthcoming about that subject. Still, it did make her visibly upset, and they all tended to avoid that.

"Oh good, they finally came." Mai said, walking into the room. Yasu nodded and continued to sort the books based on subject matter. They'd go through and sort them all by author later on.

In the time since they'd moved into this new office, Mai had undertaken the ambitious task of acquiring as many books about the field of parapsychology and any other relevant or necessary field as she possibly could, and to everyone's amazement, she was devouring book after book. When she finished them, she placed them into her own little library in her office. It had been a small collection at first, a few dozen books. Today, Yasu was pretty certain she'd surpassed 300 books and academic papers.

"Thanks, Yasu." She said, coming over to inspect their literary loot. She moved slowly, favoring one of her legs after an injury on their most recent case.

Yasu waved away her gratitude. She paid him so well he couldn't even begin to complain about the small things she asked him to do…other than risking his life on most cases. It really wasn't a job for the lighthearted, but Yasu had found himself in it, and he suspected Mai had as well. Perhaps they all had, even if they didn't all know it.

"Would you like some help?" She asked, smiling at his efficiency.

"No, no," He assured her. "Besides, if Ayako hears about you around on your leg like this, I'm going to be toast!"

Mai laughed, and made a "psh" motion. Yasu wasn't so convinced. The last time Mai had been hurt she'd gotten up a day later and over-extended herself, which made her back injury that much worse. And Ayako had taken it out on him. Suffice it to say he'd learned his lesson.

"How about a cup of tea, though?" He asked. He held his breath, praying he hadn't said something stupid.

She smiled. "Sure." She said, hobbling off to the kitchen in their lovely new office to make him a cup of green tea.

Yasu let out a quiet breath, relieved he hadn't set one of those proverbial mines off. He kept waiting for the day when the poor girl blew up, but so far she'd stayed remarkably calm. The first week after "they" left, she'd been quiet and sullen and hadn't wanted to eat or laugh or do much of anything. He'd found himself worrying about her a lot, during that brief week.

But as soon as it was over, she'd bounced back, happier and more carefree than before. Or at least that was the front she put up. She'd dived into school work, and when that hadn't been enough of a distraction for her, she'd added in extra classes to fill her hours. A few weeks after that she'd called everyone together and made her proposal to reopen SPR, but to run it themselves. They didn't refer to it as "Shibuya Psychic Research" anymore. Nor did they allow others to call it a local branch of the British flagship. No. It was just SPR.

Not a one of them doubted that something must have happened between Naru and Mai to leave her so despondent, but the shocking speed of her recovery and her enthusiasm for her new line of work had seemed to force such negativity from her life. Yasu still wasn't convinced that she was perfectly alright, but she'd yet to give any of them a reason to doubt it, either. Surely her throwing herself into her work was an indication of that pain, but she seemed to enjoy herself in it, and none of them could deny the benefits they all found from it. Their company ran more smoothly and Mai was a wiser, more seasoned ghost hunter for all of the knowledge she'd been soaking up.

Bou-san had expressed concerns in the early days of their new operation that she could become too much like Naru, too obsessed in her line of work, denying all other forms of entertainment and joy. But it hadn't happened. She'd spend many hours a day reading, sure, but it was often her idea on Fridays, if they weren't on a case, to close the office early and everyone go out to dinner or a movie or something.

Mai returned, two steaming mugs of green tea in her arms. Yasu rushed over and took both from her and gently set them on their coasters on the coffee table. "I can do it!" She protested, as he snatched them away.

"Yeah," he teased, "but I actually want to drink my tea, not wear it!"

She scowled and continued hobbling her way over to the couch. "I'll get you back for that, Yasu, just you wait!" She declared.

He grinned. "I'm looking forward to it!"

She picked up the closest book and tossed it at him. He dodged it with a laugh. Mai too, let out a quiet laugh, before she sank tiredly onto the couch.

Yasu continued to sort the books, watching with a smile as she gently drifted off to sleep. Not for the first time, he had to wonder if the Great Oliver Davis knew just what kind of girl he'd left behind. He hoped so, and he hoped that the stubborn young scientist got a chance to see it for himself one day.

* * *

"Stop fidgeting!" Ayako admonished, slapping her monk companion on the arm.

"Sorry." He said. It spoke a lot to his state of mind that he didn't have any snappy comeback for the hotheaded priestess. "I'm just confused…I don't understand _why_ Lin would want to see us now. Why after all this time?"

Ayako shrugged. "I don't know either."

"You think it has anything to do with what happened between Mai and Naru?" He asked. He could tell by her expression that he wasn't the only one thinking along those lines. He was wise enough not to put too much stock in that particular theory, but he found himself wishing that's what it was. Things had been…different, since the two men had left. And not just for Mai. They'd all had to find new ways of adapting, new roles, to make up for the changes that Lin and Oliver's absence had caused.

Mai was now the de facto leader of their small band of misfits, but Takigawa often saw himself and Ayako as the "adults" of the operation…even if they didn't always behave like it. John and Masako had become something of the voice of reason, and Yasu seemed to have stepped seamlessly into Mai's old role. On paper and to clients they operated like a well-oiled machine, but some days Takigawa wondered if they weren't more like a puzzle still missing its last piece. The picture still fit, but the hole left something to be desired.

"There he is!" Ayako breathed, starring off into the crowd. Takigawa turned to look around to the door of the restaurant, and sure enough, there was the tall, dark-haired Lin. And someone was with him.

Takigawa raised his hand to get the onmiyouji's attention. Lin acknowledged the gesture with a brief nod, and then made his way over to their table, his guest in tow.

"Ms. Matsuzaki, Mr. Takigawa." Lin greeted them.

"Lin." Takigawa said, trying his best to sound polite.

"May I introduce Mrs. Luella Davis, Oliver's mother?" He said, gesturing politely to the woman standing beside him.

Whatever Takigawa had been expecting from his meeting with Lin, this particular development hadn't even made the list. A quick glance at Ayako told him she was just as stunned as he was.

"Hello, Ma'am." He said politely, regaining his composure. "Won't you both join us?"

"Thank you, you are too kind." Mrs. Davis replied in near-perfect Japanese. Both she and Lin took a seat.

A waitress came over to take the two newcomers' orders. Once they'd made their selections, Mrs. Davis took a deep breath and said: "I'm sorry to come barging into your lives like this, Mr. Takigawa, Ms. Matsuzaki, but I'm afraid I have a rather large request to make of both of you and all of your associates at SPR."

* * *

"CUT!" The director yelled. Where once there had been unnatural silence, suddenly the stage was brimming with noise. Masako Hara felt her shoulders slump as the exhaustion of her day's shooting finally caught up with her. She wanted nothing more than a good night's sleep, and she almost imagined she'd get it, at least until one of crew came up and quietly informed her that she had a visitor.

Tired, but too proud to ever show it, Masako stood erect and went to where her guest was waiting. Out in the cool night air of the studio lot, she was surprised by the person she found waiting for her.

"John?" She called, amazed.

He turned to her with an angelic smile, but it was tinted with a sadness that pierced her heart.

"What is it? What's wrong?" She demanded, rushing over to him. "Who's been hurt?!"

"Calm down." He soothed. "No one's been hurt. And it's nothing life-threatening, either. I've received an incredible offer today, and I think I'm going to take it."

"An offer?" She questioned.

"Yes." He said, beaming. "You'll never believe it!"

Masako listened with a sinking heart to the truly magnanimous offer her coworker had received, and wondered why it was she didn't feel happy for him?

* * *

 **Author's Note: The texts I discussed above are in fact real books, and if you feel the slightest interest you should definitely check them out. According to Goodreads they all have fairly good reviews. I've even added a couple to check out for myself. Oh! And before I forget, the lines you see are meant to indicate a shift in character perspective. I don't know why, but I've found that I seem to write better when I do it from multiple character perspectives. Thank you all for you continued support, and I will try to have the next chapter up as soon as possible! Although, I feel it only fair to warn you, the next two weeks are going to be insane for me, so don't be surprised if I go radio silent. I will return though, don't worry. if i can't get this story out of my head and onto paper, I'll never get any rest!  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello wonderful readers! I am BACK. :D And here is a wonderful new chapter for all of you. As always, reviews, favs and follows are always welcome. Enjoy!**

Chapter 3

Ayako Matsuzaki was willing to admit she was somewhat high-maintenance. That was a given with her lifestyle, and although to some she'd come across as a very spoiled child, in reality she'd tried very hard not to have to ask her parents for anything. Perhaps she'd been unconsciously saving up for this one favor.

Their hospital was prospering, and had been for quite some time. Her parents had talked about expanding on numerous occasions, but they'd never done more than talk. Ayako had never really been interested in the idea either, but then she'd met Luella and realized that her "old friend" Oliver Davis needed their help, whether or not he liked it. And an expansion of this nature could only be to everyone's benefit. Or at least, that's what she kept telling herself.

Excepting those occasions when she was in a room with Takigawa (something about the long-haired monk just set her off) Ayako liked to consider herself as a fairly rational and sensible person. That's why she'd spent the last three days coming up with this proposition, doing all the work, making it as sound proof of a plan as she possibly could. Actually, Takigawa had been surprisingly instrumental to her during this process.

She'd never doubted his brain, sometimes she wondered if he could rival Naru. And there had been a couple of times where she was almost _certain_ that he had. But when he'd started offering (unasked for) insight into her plan, and once she'd (grudgingly) acknowledged that some of his ideas were fairly plausible, Ayako found that she was far better off than she had been alone.

But her opinions of and feelings about the man known as Houshou Takigawa would have to wait for a better day. Right now her friends needed her, and she couldn't very well let them down. Besides, she was tired of living in her parents' shadows. She wanted to take a leaf from Naru's book and take a chance at doing her own thing.

Ayako took one final fortifying breath and entered her own personal lion den.

* * *

The car was speeding down the highway to a remote site near an ancient shrine. Not that the kimono-clad passenger cared all that much. She'd found herself more and more disenchanted with her life in the past couple of years, and although she could never bring herself to admit it out loud, she wasn't one to lie to herself. The appeal of fame and fortune wore off quickly enough, and being truly honest, she knew she'd been sick of it all for much longer than she'd known anyone from SPR. She just hadn't had the courage to tell anyone, to disappoint anyone. She had to wonder if she had it now?

Masako couldn't believe it when she'd gotten the call from Takigawa and Ms. Matsuzaki the night before. No sooner had she finished her unsettling talk with John that her phone had rang and she'd been bombarded with a nonsensical story about Lin and Oliver Davis's mother. Once she'd gleaned the actual purpose of their calling, she'd been shocked at the coincidences the two situations presented.

Having lived with the unexplainable for much of her life, Masako was not above believing in such things as fate and destiny. But until that moment she'd never really seen it work up close and personal. Or, she supposed, if she had she'd not payed close enough attention.

But now there was a force out there practically shouting it in the air, and she knew she'd be forced to pick a direction sooner or later. She thought again of John's breathless excitement, and wondered just which side she was supposed to take. Duty…or friendship? She felt ashamed at how difficult the decision actually was, because she knew that the others would make their choice with no hesitation. And she knew that despite the direction her heart was shouting for her to take, her head would not listen.

* * *

He woke with a gasp and sat up straight. He glanced over at the blinking hotel clock that said 3:28 am and huffed in frustration. This was the fourth night that Lin had the dream about Gene. It was never precisely the same, but he never gleaned any new information from it either, and that frustrated the onmiyouji to no end.

He'd considered telling Madoka about it, but he didn't really know what he had seen himself, and he wasn't sure how to put his feelings about it into words. What did it mean? Lin heard Gene's plea again in his head. "Come find me." And wondered what he was supposed to do. Gene was gone, passed on, and yet…

"No." He growled aloud. They'd all been through enough pain where Gene was concerned. Lin couldn't allow his subconscious to trick him into delusions of hope any longer. The idea that Gene was still out there was so preposterous it was…he didn't even have words for how ridiculous it sounded. Gene was gone, and they'd all finally begun to adjust to life without him. He wouldn't disturb that precarious balance on something as insubstantial as a dream. He wasn't Mai. He didn't have any skills in clairvoyance or pre-cognition.

Besides, he had his own problems grounded in reality to deal with. Namely, his charge and his girlfriend. Though, admittedly, the second one was partially his fault. He'd been stupid to think that his prejudiced family would behave any other way towards her. They were never ones to hide their true feelings, so when push came to shove, he'd had to make a decision. His family, or Madoka?

In the heat of the moment, feeling the sting of their words himself, he'd sided with her without a thought's hesitation. His family still scorned him for that decision, but he knew there were still plenty of family members (his father most prominent among them) who believed their relationship would fail and he'd one day come crawling back to the fold.

While he couldn't leave that particular scenario out of the realm of possibility, he knew that the only way he'd ever even _consider_ going back was if Madoka left him or she died. And it wasn't just because of how much he loved her (though that was definitely the largest part of it), he also recognized that he no longer shared many of the values his family so cherished. It was highly plausible that he'd never see any of them again, and although that hurt him, he understood that he was better off with people who truly appreciated others and worked to lift them up, rather than with his hate-mongering blood relatives who labored under delusions of grandeur and vied for pointless power.

He had a lot of people to thank for his adjusted outlook on people, and Japanese in particular, on. Gene and Noll, of course, and Mai, Takigawa, Masako, Yasuhara, Ayako and John had all played an important part. And there was also Madoka. Perfect, rambunctious, wild and cheerful Madoka. But of all the people Lin felt he most owed his thanks to, the top of his list was Martin and Luella. The two people who had practically forced him to alter his perceptions, without the onmiyouji even realizing they _had_ been altered. If they hadn't pleaded with him for the sake of their sons, he might never have realized how terrible his family was. He might never have met Madoka. And for those things alone, Lin was willing to give them the greatest share of his gratitude.

That had been one of the stronger reasons he'd stuck around so long and dealt with all of Noll's frustrating behavior and Gene's youthful antics. At least at first, he'd helped the two boys out of that sense of duty and gratitude. Once he'd grown to know them even more, he'd realized he truly cared for them both. When he learned of Gene's death, his heart had nearly shattered in his chest. It was Noll's determination to find his brother's body that had spurred him on, until they'd met Mai and the others.

It wasn't until he'd seen Takigawa and Ms. Matsuzaki sitting at that table a few nights ago that he'd realized just how important everyone he and Noll had met in Japan really were to both of them. Lin couldn't help but acknowledge how much lighter of a person Noll had seemed when he'd been in Japan, despite the dire circumstances of their being in the country in the first place. But if he was honest with himself, he'd been freer too. Perhaps not to such an obvious degree as Noll, but he knew himself well enough to know that he'd changed since they'd gone to Japan.

The desperate tone in Luella's voice as she made her plea for help from the monk and the shrine maiden had shocked him to his core. He knew Luella was worried about Noll. They were all worried about the stubborn young man, but he'd never heard her sound so…distressed before. After they were done and he'd dropped Luella off at the airport for her flight back to England, he'd realized that he felt as helpless in this situation as he had when Gene had died. Lin didn't want to lose Noll either, and so when Luella had outlined her plan to him, he'd agreed readily enough. He had a feeling everyone would. Well, everyone except Noll. And perhaps Mai, now that he considered the changes she'd apparently undergone in their absence.

To say he was impressed with the young woman was an understatement, and he agreed with Takigawa's suspicion that something must have happened between Mai and Noll to cause both of their current moods. He'd tried to talk to Oliver about it on the plane back to England, and on several occasions since, but Oliver refused to speak.

Lin had always believed that Mai had a good heart. He had to trust that it would push her in the right direction, when she finally learned of Luella's offer. He couldn't ignore the possibility that she'd refuse, and he knew that she had every right to do so, but he also held out hope that her new duties wouldn't stop her from helping someone so obviously important to her as Naru.

* * *

Father John Brown sat on his small cot in the parish he'd been staying in, and looked again at the envelope containing the news that could change his life forever. A chance to go to England, to be so much closer to the heart of his faith. It was something he'd always wanted, a chance to do more for people. He wasn't ambitious, per say, but he did feel that he had a lot to offer, and he'd always wanted to visit some of the cathedrals in England. Salisbury, Westminster…the thought of one of his dearest wishes coming true set his pulse racing with anticipated delight.

But then he remembered the sadness in Masako's eyes when he'd told her the news, and he felt that twinge of regret. He had made an official decision yet, anyway. There was still plenty of time to change his mind.

Sure, he wanted to go to England, but he loved Japan too. Loved the culture and the people and the customs, loved working with SPR and all of the amazing people he'd met while he'd been here. So yes, he could fulfill one of his childhood dreams, but he'd be paying a heavy price for it, and he knew it.

He couldn't shake the look in Masako's eyes. He relied on everyone in SPR, and he had a bond with everyone, but he always felt like he shared the most in common with Masako, because at the end of the day, she seemed to understand him, and although she didn't always tell him, he knew that she respected what he did just as much as he respected her for her talents.

Being a priest, he'd forgone the ideal of love and family in the name of faith, and he didn't regret that choice. He knew he had feelings for the young kimono-wearing medium, but he didn't believe them to be entirely romantic in nature, and he doubted that she considered him to be anything more than a close friend or coworker. But that didn't sooth the ache in his chest when he considered that going to England would mean leaving all of this behind, not just Masako, but everyone at SPR, Japan itself even. He wasn't sure if he was ready for that.

* * *

They were talking about her, she knew it. Something about the way they all looked at her when the saw her, the knowing looks they gave each other. Mai felt decidedly out of the loop. It wasn't a pleasant feeling, and it irritated her in a way very little else could. She knew they'd been talking about her for a while. Since the day that _Oliver Davis_ and Lin had left for England. She'd heard their concern, and she was glad for it. But sometimes she felt they worried too much.

The first few days had been rough, she'd been devastated after he'd said "Me, or Gene?" And then he left as if she'd already given him her answer. The pain of the rejection was perhaps the hardest she'd faced in her entire life, excepting the death of her mom and dad. And for a time she'd been swallowed up by it.

But then Gene had come into her dreams one night, and he'd explained to her that she couldn't let the pain of the past rule her, and that _Oliver_ was an idiot for not understanding where she was coming from. She'd admitted to her love's dead twin that she wasn't sure how to feel anymore, because all she felt was pain. Gene had comforted her, and told her to find something to distract herself from that pain. And then, he'd said goodbye.

She'd known it was coming, of course. For all she knew, everything he needed to see had been done, his body had been brought home to England, and his brother was safe and sound there too. She'd said goodbye with as bright a smile as she could muster. But then Gene had thrown her for a loop when he'd replied "No, I'll see you soon." Her immediate thought had been that perhaps she was meant to die sometime soon and she'd join him in the realm of spirits, but he'd assured her that wasn't it, and then he was gone.

The whole encounter left her with far more questions than it did answers, but as the days passed and she'd filled her waking hours with various distractions, she'd allowed the strange dream to fade from her mind. It still popped up from time to time, but she had no other clues to its meaning, and so it quickly faded back away again.

When she'd first considered what kind of things she'd like to do to distract herself, the first thing that popped into her mind was paranormal research, and despite her feelings for Oliver Davis, she had to admit that she'd loved her job. But she'd also had to acknowledge that she didn't really know that much beyond what the others had explained to her, and she didn't want to stay ignorant forever.

Once business had started booming again and she allowed herself a somewhat larger salary, she began using all the excess money she had to buy books on any topics that she knew could be useful to her new chosen field. Parapsychology was a given, but she'd also added some books on religion, regular psychology, and even architecture. After only a couple of books she'd recognized the connection of hauntings and the buildings they often happened in, and she wondered if understanding more about architecture itself might be beneficial to her. If nothing else, she found she enjoyed the subject.

Between her school work, extra reading and regular full-time job for SPR, Mai barely had time to sleep. She preferred it that way, though. She didn't allow her mind to wander anymore, and she didn't allow herself to hold onto painful delusions that she knew could never come true.

There was a place in her heart that whispered that she would see _Oliver_ again, and although she wasn't sure if she actually wanted to or not, she knew that if she ever did, she wanted to show him just what he'd helped to build. And she meant that, not in a nasty or sarcastic way, but in a genuinely truthful and honest moment of gratitude. Sure, he had hurt her, but he'd also pushed her to try something new, and his leaving had pushed her even further. She couldn't help but thank him for that, all of her other feelings aside.

"Mai!" Yasu called out from their gathering space. "Let's go or we'll be late for class!"

She grabbed her backpack and coat. "Coming!"

No, she wasn't the same little girl that had been in love with _Naru_. That was the whole point. And she was pleased with the changes she saw in herself. She was finally _happy_.

* * *

 **New chapter should be up soon! Thanks for all of your support!  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**The plot thickens! XD Enjoy, and always, thank you all for your continued support.**

* * *

Chapter 4

Luella Davis sank into her favorite arm chair in the living room and sighed. It had been a very long weekend. She heard the sound of Martin's car out in the drive and allowed herself a small smile. It had been a very narrow thing, her getting back from the airport before Martin and Noll and Madoka returned. She'd had to call Martin to stall her son just a little bit longer.

The door banged open and her son and husband came trooping through the door. She instantly sat up and tried to look as if she hadn't been gone all weekend. "How was the case, dear?" She asked Noll.

She received a grunt in place of a proper reply. He then went straight up the stairs to the study and she heard the distinct echo of his study door slamming shut.

"That bad?" She asked of Martin. He sighed and nodded.

Madoka entered a moment later looking despondent and tired. She sank wearily into one of the other armchairs and Martin settled onto the couch. "It was a train wreck." Madoka complained with a groan.

"What happened?" Luella asked, surprised. From everything Martin had said, this seemed to be a wonderful case for Noll to get back into investigating with.

"Let's just say the client wasn't entirely honest with us about what all had been happening at his hotel." Madoka said.

"He neglected to inform us that his hotel was in complete disrepair and apparently some of his employees took advantage of that fact to perpetrate the idea that the place was haunted." Martin explained.

"Ah." Luella said. "So nothing paranormal to speak of then." Madoka and Martin both nodded. No wonder Noll was in such a bad mood. She'd have to try even harder to get him back to his old self now.

"How did everything go?" Madoka asked quietly, not moving from her position on the couch.

Luella allowed herself a small smile. "Successfully, for the most part. Almost everyone agreed, though no one has brought up our offer to our young psychic friend yet." She was careful not to give anything away. Noll was upstairs, but the house staff was still around, and she didn't want to risk him finding anything out about her plans until the time was right.

"Any indication…?" Madoka asked, stopping before she used any suggestive pronouns.

"No." Luella sighed. "No indication of which way our friend will choose to go."

Madoka just nodded and settled back into the couch. Martin too sat back. Luella wanted to join them, but she'd been gone all weekend and there was a long list of things she needed to get done yet. She rose and went into the kitchen to see about dinner.

* * *

Yasuhara clutched the envelope with the package of information to his chest like it was the Holy Grail itself. His mother was going to be beside herself with excitement. Heck, he was beside himself with excitement.

He'd wanted to run and tell Mai, but Ayako and Monk had ordered him to stay completely silent on the subject until they had a chance to tell her themselves. But oh was that going to be hard for the young man. So very hard.

Yasu had to wonder how they were going to break the news to the poor girl. He couldn't imagine it was going to be a pleasant conversation. Especially when she realized that everyone was on board and willing to go. The young man had a feeling she wouldn't be quite so eager. Sure, it was an incredible opportunity, and that alone might be enough to sway her, but there was still the issue of whatever had happened between _Naru_ and herself.

He'd put all of his considerable investigative skill into figuring out just what that had been, but the girl was too wise to his tricks, and he'd come away empty-handed every time. Still, he had his suspicions, and he was willing to bet his latest paycheck that whatever had happened between the two, it had something to do with Mai's feelings for _Naru._ Yasu guessed that Mai had confessed and he'd rejected her, but from what Lin had apparently told Takigawa and Ayako, Oliver Davis was not his usual self and hadn't been since they'd returned from Japan. That put a dent in his rejection theory, but he didn't discount it completely.

Yasu entered the gate to his house and put away his theories about Mai and Oliver Davis. "Mom!" He yelled. "You're never going to believe what came in the mail!"

* * *

"We need to tell her soon." Ayako said, sitting down beside Takigawa.

He nodded. "I know." He admitted. "I just don't know how."

Ayako sympathized. She didn't know how to breach the subject with the young woman either. She only knew that they needed to do it soon, or there was a very real possibility that Mai might never forgive them for this seeming betrayal.

"Maybe we could have Lin deliver it to her?" He asked, but as soon as the words left his mouth, Ayako was shaking her head.

"I think that if we're going to tell her, we need to make this as little about Oliver Davis as possible. If we tell her that I got the chance to open the hospital there and that you've decided to go with me, she may feel better about it."

"How do we explain that Masako, John, and Yasu are all coming too, though?" He demanded.

She shrugged. "We don't tell her until we get to the airport? Make it seem like they decided to come because they didn't want to be here without her?" She suggested.

Monk scrubbed his eyes tired. "That could work." He agreed. "But I'd still feel terrible for lying to her about it."

Ayako nodded. "I know. Me too. But this is the only thing I can think of, and we're running out of time."

"What about SPR? You know she's not going to leave it willingly. She loves that place."

Ayako sighed. "We'll tell her we're just going on a hiatus, and that the office will still be there when we get back."

Takigawa shook his head. "She won't fall for that."

Ayako groaned in frustration. "Alright, we tell her she's got to come or else I'll withdraw all of the money I invested and Masako will take back all of her equipment!"

Monk winced at the threat, but he couldn't deny that it would probably be effective. "Okay." He said after a while. "We'll try to reason with her first, and if that doesn't work, you can tell her you'll withdraw your money and Masako will take back her equipment."

Ayako could tell how terrible Takigawa felt about the whole thing. She felt the same way. But she also knew that they were doing this _because_ they cared about Mai. And maybe Mai would hate them all for this, but Ayako still believed that this was the best possible course for the young woman. She hoped that Mai was smart enough to realize that too.

"So when do you want to tell her?" Takigawa asked.

Ayako shrugged. "Tomorrow morning?"

Honestly it didn't much matter. "Alright." He agreed.

* * *

Madoka Mori was finally back in the comfort of her apartment. She'd just laid on the bed and was seriously considering going to sleep right then and there when the phone rang. There was only one person who'd call her this late, so she wasn't surprised to pick up the phone and hear Lin's deep voice on the other side.

"How'd the case go?" He asked.

She groaned and told him about the whole mess.

"I imagine Naru isn't taking it well." He guessed.

"No." Madoka admitted. "Luella's been beside herself trying to figure out what to do to draw him out again. She's worried he'll reject another case if they give it to him now."

Lin sighed. It wasn't impossible. If Noll honestly felt like he'd been set up, then there was a very high chance he would refuse any offer of a case for quite a while.

"How are things going in Japan?" She asked.

"Well enough. Takigawa called and said that they were planning on telling Mai tomorrow morning, so we should know for sure by then if she'll agree or not."

"This whole thing practically depends on her." Madoka moaned.

"I know." He said, sighing.

"How much of a chance is there of her _not_ accepting?" Madoka asked.

Lin was quiet for a long moment, and then he said "From everything they've told me, Mai's moved on. In a lot of ways. Frankly, I can't say she will accept. She certainly doesn't have to."

"But everyone else from SPR has already agreed, right? Once she finds that out, she'll practically be forced to come here, or else she'll be on her own again." Madoka said.

"Takigawa told me they weren't going to tell her about everyone else yet. They don't want her to feel betrayed or coerced. So if she accepts they'll tell her at the airport. If the peaceful route fails and she refuses, they're going to resort to a more forceful tactic. Apparently Ms. Matsuzaki is planning on threatening to withdraw her financial support, and they've talked Miss Hara into taking back all of her equipment."

"They're planning on threatening her?" Madoka cried, indignant.

Lin winced at her volume. "If she doesn't agree, yes."

"That's…terrible." Madoka said.

Lin agreed, but he knew that the monk and shrine maiden would only do it as a last resort and only because they truly cared for her. He told Madoka as much, and it seemed to sooth her somewhat.

"So, what's going to happen once she's here? From everything you've told me, Noll is the last person on the planet she wants to be around right now."

"I don't know." Lin admitted. "I think Luella's planning to ease them together, but I have a feeling it's not going to work out like she hopes. There appears to be some animosity between the two, based on Mai's recent behavior, and I don't know if they'll be able to work past it. Noll is emotionally dense and Mai is stubborn. It isn't the best situation for either of them to be in to try to communicate."

Madoka snorted. "Sounds familiar." She replied.

Lin smiled a little at that. "Am I the emotionally dense one…or the stubborn one?" He asked.

Madoka laughed softly. It set an ache in Lin's chest. "I miss you." She said softly.

"I miss you too. But I'll be home soon, don't worry." He appeased.

"That's what you said when you went with Noll to Japan the first time." She muttered. Madoka was being childish, and she knew it, but she was tired of her boyfriend hopping off all over the world and leaving her behind.

"This isn't like that." Lin assured her. Again the thought crossed his mind to tell Madoka about his strange dream, but he still wasn't sure what it all meant. He stayed silent.

"The next time you decide to go traipsing off all over the world, you're bringing me with you." She declared.

"You love it in England." He reminded her.

"I love Japan too." She shot back.

He sighed and conceded defeat. "Fine. Next time I'm leaving the country I swear I'll take you with me."

Madoka laughed. "Victory!" She bragged.

Lin shook his head, but he was smiling. "Go to sleep, Madoka. It's got to be past 11 there and I know you have a long day ahead of you tomorrow."

"Fine." She grumbled. "I'll talk to you tomorrow then." She added, not bothering to disguise the longing in her voice.

Lin's chest ached again. God how he missed her. "Talk to you tomorrow, Madoka. Goodnight."

"'Night." She agreed.

The words "I love you" were embedded in their farewell. Lin didn't say it often, but Madoka didn't mind. He'd proved he loved her often enough, and even if he didn't always say those exact words, she knew he always implied them. She fell asleep easily and dreamed of a day when she didn't have to wake up to a cold and lonely bed.

* * *

Bou-san and Ayako were already at the office when Mai arrived the next morning. She felt the tension in the air as soon as she opened the door. The blond man and the red-headed woman were already sitting in the common room, three cups of tea set out on the table.

Both of them turned to look at her when she entered. Monk's eyes were rimmed in dark red, and Ayako had dark bags under her eyes. Mai felt her heart constrict in fear. Something terrible must have happened.

"Mai, can you come here? There's something we need to discuss with you." Ayako said softly.

Mai hung up her coat and went and joined them in the sitting area. "What is it?" She asked, afraid.

"Calm down, Mai. It's nothing bad." Monk assured her, though he didn't seem quite so certain himself.

"What is it?" Mai asked again.

Ayako and Monk looked at each other for a moment and then Ayako gestured for him to explain it to her. Monk nodded. "Ayako and I are moving. And we'd like for you to move with us."

* * *

 **Thank you all again. I can't tell you how much your support means, really. The next chapter should be available soon. A day, maybe less. :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello my lovelies! Wow. I can't believe we're at chapter 5. This is awesome! :D I really hope you guys like this one. I really _loved_ writing it. (Especially the end!) Tell me what you guys think! Favs, Follows and reviews are always welcome and very much appreciated. Let me know if you guys think I'm too out of character, because sometimes I worry that I am. I'm not used to fanfiction writing as much anymore, so I'm not sure if I'm hitting the mark quite right. Anyway, on to the story:**

Chapter 5

"It looks like a poltergeist or seven went on a rampage." Yasu remarked, eyeing the wrecked remains of Mai's office. He, John and Masako had come over to see how the conversation had went. It didn't take them long to guess its outcome. Everything from her desk was shattered on the floor. Everything except the books, which she'd apparently taken mercy on and left alone.

"She didn't take it well, when we told her the news." Bou-san admitted.

"Define 'not well.'" Yasu asked, "Because judging by this…"

"Well when we told her we were moving to England and we wanted her to come with us she was fairly okay. She kept saying she didn't want to go, though, so she'd stay here and run this place with you guys and we could go to England."

Yasu nodded knowingly. "And then one of you let it slip that we're all going?" He guessed.

Ayako and Bou-san both nodded miserably. "She got really quiet. We were terrified that something had possessed her. And then, she got up and went into her office and the next thing we knew, we heard things falling all over the ground. When she came out…this was all that was left." Ayako added.

"So…you didn't tell her about withdrawing your money…right?" Yasu asked.

"No." Ayako assured him. "We just let her leave. Hopefully once she cools down, we'll be able to talk some sense into her."

"Did one of you let slip that _his_ mother's involved in this, is that why she blew up?" Masako asked.

"No." Bou-san said, sighing. "But she said she never wanted to see him again, so she'd never ever go any place he might be, and that would include England."

"Oh." Yasu said, shaking his head.

"What did Lin say when you told him?" John asked.

"He thanked us for trying and said he'd get back to us." Ayako muttered.

"So what do we do now?" Yasu asked, plopping onto one of the open seats.

No one had an answer.

* * *

The rage still boiled in her veins. It felt so hot it made her want to scream. Instead, tears leaked freely out of her tightly closed eyes as she huddled on a lonely park bench. The day was appropriately icy and bitter, so she was as alone in the park as she was in her heart and head.

She didn't know what to feel, except that pure hot anger. She'd known that was something going on, but she'd never imagined that it was _this_. This was a whole new level of betrayal that she had no idea how to deal with. How dare they do this to her. She thought she'd made it abundantly clear that she never wanted anything to do with Oliver Davis again. At least, nothing to do with the man himself. She couldn't deny the value of his research, but that didn't mean she had to extend the same courtesy to the man himself.

Mai had always thought of herself as a caring, forgiving person. But somehow _Naru's_ casual dismissal of her feelings, his insistence that she loved his dead brother instead of him, and his unwillingness to hear the truth from her own lips…it had broken her heart in a way no other event in her life had before. At least when her parents had died, she'd known they'd still loved her, and she'd been consoled with that. But this…this had been blatant disregard, and the funniest part about the whole thing was that, _this_ was Oliver Davis being _kind_. "You'll see him again." He'd meant it to console her. He hadn't realized that he'd been ripping her heart it two. And what was worse, he didn't seem to care!

Mai felt a shadow fall on her and then a deep voice said: "May I join you?"

She hastily wiped her eyes and tried to put on some sort of smile. And then she looked up and her heart stopped beating. "Lin?" She whispered.

"It's been a long time." He replied. He gestured to the empty seat next to her. "May I?" He repeated.

"Sure…" She agreed warily. She could feel the pieces of the puzzle lining up in her head. "Did N-Oliver send you here? Is that why everyone's going away to England and leaving me here alone?" She demanded, angrily.

"Oliver thinks I'm in China, actually." Lin admitted. "And I'm sure that your friends were thinking you'd come with them, so they had no intention of abandoning you." He added pointedly.

"I'm not going." She snapped. And then winced at her own rudeness. "Sorry." She muttered.

"Don't apologize, Mai." He replied. "I don't know what happened between you and Noll, but I can imagine it wasn't very pleasant. So I can't blame you if you don't ever want to see him again."

"I don't." She reaffirmed.

"But," he continued, giving her a small smile, "just because you don't want to see Oliver again doesn't mean you shouldn't go to England."

Mai nearly fell off her seat. "What?!"

"I've spoken with Mr. Takigawa and Ms. Matsuzaki. They've told me about all your achievements. It's very impressive."

Mai found herself involuntarily blushing at the praise. Words like those coming from Lin? She never thought she'd see the day.

"I'd hazard a guess that you're intending to continue in the field of parapsychology?" He asked.

She nodded.

"Then England is one of the best countries to go to." He informed her.

"I know." She moaned. "But I honestly never want to see him again, and if I go to England I will."

Lin considered that for a few moments. "Then I suppose you have a decision to make, Mai. About what kind of person you want to be. A coward, who hides away from the thing that frightens her, or a brave young woman who looks him in the eye and shows him that she's stronger for the pain that he caused her."

Mai wasn't sure what was more stunning. The sheer number of words that had just come out of Lin's mouth, or the words themselves. She felt angry at him for insinuating that she was a coward, but she also recognized that he'd chosen those words on purpose.

She groaned in frustration. He was waiting quite patiently for her answer, and although she hated herself for being swayed so easily, she knew that when he put it like that, she had no choice but to accept.

"Fine." She gritted out. "I'll go to England."

Lin smiled at her.

"BUT…" She emphasized. "I want as little to do with _Oliver_ as possible."

"I'll see what I can do." Lin replied, hiding his amusement.

* * *

Luella and Madoka were enjoying a nice cup of tea when Madoka's phone beeped with a new message from Lin. Madoka opened the message and grinned like the Cheshire Cat. She held her phone up for Luella to see. It read: _Success. They're all coming._

Luella gave a small gasp of delight and hugged her friend. "I'm so glad!" She whispered.

"Glad for what?" Noll's icy voice cut into their happy moment.

Panic raced through both women's veins. Madoka thought quickly. "Lin and I are getting married." She blurted. _Oops._ She thought.

"Getting married?" Noll repeated. He sounded incredibly suspicious.

" _Yes._ " Madoka retorted. "That's what two people who _love each other_ do, Noll." Madoka felt glee when she saw the young man flinch slightly at her words.

"Funny. I thought Lin was still in China." Noll returned.

"He is." Madoka chirped. "But he called earlier and told me he's breaking things off with his family for good, and then he asked me if I was opposed to marrying him."

"How _romantic_." Oliver retorted.

"Yes, well, in that department he's a little too much like you." Madoka shot back. "But at least he had the decency to tell me _what his feelings actually are_."

Madoka, like everyone else, had her suspicions as to the true cause of Noll's unhappiness. She'd never managed to confirm it, but she was fairly certain it had something to do with Noll's (admittedly repressed) feelings for Mai. "Mai" and "Love" were the only two subjects (other than paranormal phenomena) that actually elicited some emotion from the young man. Sure, it was usually anger, but Madoka still considered anger an emotion.

"Are you trying to say something, Madoka?" Her young student seethed.

"No, not at all." Madoka said airily, "and I know you're a slow-learner when it comes to manners, but I could have sworn you knew that it was polite to congratulate people when they decide to get married."

Noll huffed irritably and turned to leave. It was his mother's sharp voice that called him back. "Oliver Davis!" She chided.

He turned back to Madoka. "Congratulations." He spat out. Before spinning on his heel and fleeing for the safety of his study.

Luella looked at her friend with worry for a moment.

Madoka laughed. "Don't worry about it." Madoka assured her. Though whether she meant Noll's behavior or her newly upgraded relationship status, she wasn't entirely sure.

"Still." Luella said softly.

In response, Madoka hugged her again. "Like I said, don't worry about it. Let's just be glad for a little while, hmm?"

"Sure." Luella agreed, smiling despite her uncertainty.

Madoka had to remind herself to text Lin real quick and tell him. _If Noll asks (or offers congratulations) we're officially engaged now. You proposed this morning. Explain soon as I can._ She typed and then hit the send button. Then, as soon as she was sure it sent, she deleted both texts. She wouldn't put it past Noll to snoop through her phone to see if he could catch her in a lie. Even after all these years, his manners still needed a lot of work.

* * *

Martin Davis sat as his desk and read through the files Madoka had brought him earlier. He knew his wife had other motives for gathering them all, but he couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement himself, at all the wonderful talent he and his colleagues could soon get know. And they all had extensive field experience! Martin practically bounced in his office chair with delight.

Then he heard a knock at his door and had to stuff them away quickly. "You may come in." He said, affecting a more appropriately serious tone. He wasn't surprised to find his son at his door. "What is it, Noll?" He asked.

"I need a new case." Oliver replied. "A _real_ case, father. Not some trumped up bogus mess like that hotel turned out to be." Noll would never come out and say it, but Martin knew his son well enough to understand what the younger man had been thinking. Oliver thought the hotel was planned to be a dupe, and although Martin hadn't intended it to turn out that way, he couldn't deny that he was glad to have kept his son free from danger for a few days more. And the fact that he was coming to him, despite feeling the sting of that betrayal, said volumes about his son's state of mind.

Martin sighed. "I don't really think – "

"Please." His son said. Martin nearly fell out of his chair. He'd never heard his son _beg_ for something before.

Martin pursed his lips for a moment, and then nodded. "I'll see what I can come up with. But Noll, I'm not sending you into something outrageously dangerous. There are limits."

Oliver nodded. "I know." He said.

"Alright then." Martin agreed. "I'll talk to your mother and let you know when I have something."

"Thank you." His son said, and then quietly closed the door.

Martin leaned back and smiled. He had worried that the last case fiasco would make Noll retreat further into himself. That the young man had practically begged him to go on one was a development Martin had not been expecting. Whatever it was that had affected this change, Martin was grateful for it.

* * *

Takigawa sipped his tea and stared at the wall. Based on Lin's message, Mai would be walking through the door of SPR any moment.

A soft clatter outside the door sounded and Takigawa smiled to himself. Right on time.

"Mai?" He called gently as he heard the door open and shut.

"Yeah." Came the tired reply.

"I'm sorry for upsetting you earlier." He said as she came into view.

The young girl shook her head. "Don't be. I was being childish. I know that going to England is a great opportunity for everyone. I shouldn't have been so irrational about it."

Takigawa held his breath. Despite Lin's assurances, he still feared that Mai would back out. "Does that mean you'll come?" He asked.

She nodded. "It really is too good to pass up." She admitted, settling onto the couch. "But promise me, promise me you won't force me to be around Oliver."

Takigawa smiled and got up and hugged her tightly. "I promise. None of us will force you. I can't promise you won't see him, though." He reminded her.

She gave a weak smile. "I know. I can deal with that. But I just don't want you guys trying to force us back together. We're clearly not meant to be together, and I don't want to make things any more awkward than they're going to be."

He sighed. "If that's what you want."

"It's for the best." Mai explained.

Takigawa seriously doubted that, but he didn't dare tell her so. Instead he just let it go and hoped that she'd see sense on her own one day.

"So. When do we leave?" She asked, putting on a brave smile.

* * *

Madoka had inadvertently chosen the worst time to text her boyfriend the good news. He had just sat down to lunch when his phone vibrated. He opened it and read the message and nearly choked on his food. He got very odd looks from the restaurant's other patrons. He composed himself quickly and tried to calm his breathing. That certainly hadn't been what he'd been expecting to hear back.

 _Noll?_ He typed.

 _Yes. Had to cover._ Came her reply.

That explained quite a lot, and Lin felt somewhat better, until he realized that he and Madoka would now actually have to _be_ engaged in order to keep fooling Noll.

Lin was not a terribly romantic man, and although he'd certainly been considering asking Madoka to marry him, he hadn't thought he'd have to do it quite like this. He'd thought he'd be the one to initiate it, for one thing. And he figured he'd have a ring all picked out. Once again, Noll's _superior_ intellect had forced him into a corner.

Lin finished his meal, paid, and went off in search of a jewelry store. If he was going to do this, he might as well do it right.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hello, hello, my lovely readers! I'm sorry this has taken me so long to update! It's been one heck of a week. But, I'm done, and now on to more chapters! I want to reiterate my appreciation for all of you and your incredible support. Honestly, it is a very heart-warming thing to see so many wonderful favorites, reviews, and follows.**

 **Before I move onto the actually story tonight, I want to leave you all with a little tease for the future. That bit about Noll not wanting to be a baby-sitter? That's going to reappear. Multiple times. And in different ways.  
**

 **Alright! On to the story. As always, favs, reviews and follows are incredibly appreciated. And now...**

* * *

Chapter 6

Okay so maybe his decision to check the camera placements by himself in a clearly haunted old school classroom hadn't been his wisest decision ever. But Oliver had gotten a taste of freedom from being on this case that he hadn't experienced in two years. He figured a little risk was worth keeping that feeling going. And although he still had to defer to Madoka before he made any decisions, he pretty much had the run of things. It felt good, to be back in control.

The loud _Crash_ of equipment falling a few rooms over quickly soured his mood. He was glad to be back in charge (mostly) but he wished he had a competent team with him. To Oliver's frustration, the team that had been assigned to go with him were all practically novices. Well, at least in his eyes they were.

John something or other…Noll couldn't remember his last name. The only reason he remembered the man's first name was because he associated it with the young Australian priest he'd known in Japan. Not that this John looked anything like that one. This incompetent imbecile was far older, mid-40s, frighteningly obese, and had no clue as to how to properly set up equipment. The man's sole defense was that he was used to working alone, and didn't feel the need for such "useless contraptions" as the thermometers, cameras, and other equipment that SPR valued in its pursuit of _scientific research_. Oliver Davis was not impressed. His only comfort was that neither was Madoka.

Noll heard the other three people working the case (besides himself, Madoka, and "John") rush into the room a few doors down and start helping with the cleanup. He didn't trust himself to go in there and not rip the man to shreds, so he stayed in the relative serenity of his own classroom. The classroom that had apparently been the hotspot for paranormal activity at this school.

He knew Madoka was watching him like a hawk on the camera, so he wasn't entirely alone, but he didn't mind. If this was the best they were willing to allow him, he'd take it. Just as he'd slowly taken all of the bait they'd offered.

The first six months of his being home after his freedom in Japan had felt more like a prison than the orphanage he and Gene had spent the first five years of their lives in. It had been a living hell coming home to that, and he was glad to be getting back to some semblance of normalcy. Whatever that meant anymore.

Without Gene's happy-go-lucky attitude and well-tuned spiritual awareness cases here in England were far less interesting (and easy) than they had been. It still felt like a bad dream, when he woke up in the early morning he sometimes imagined his twin would come bouncing through the door like he always used to, exclaiming about some ridiculous event or case or some such nonsense. Then, when the door remained unopened the grief would sprout anew in his chest and he'd have to remind himself that his brother was gone.

Noll often wondered if the reason that all of his "betters" at SPR were so intent on keeping him safe was because of Gene's death or his own sudden disappearance to Japan. He supposed in the end it didn't matter, but some days he had to wonder…what might his life be like now if Gene hadn't died?

He'd never have gone to Japan. Or if he had, he'd have done it many years down the road, and then he wouldn't have ended up meeting everyone from there. He'd have never of met Mai. Or perhaps Gene might have met Mai, and then he'd of course have fallen in love with her and brought her home… Noll didn't like the feelings that fantasy stirred inside of him. Jealously. He was jealous of his dead brother's love for the girl that he couldn't bring himself to have any feelings towards. Or rather, he'd never allowed himself to name those feelings. They'd been there the whole time, he'd just been very good at shoving them out of the way. Cases were good for shoving emotions out of the way.

When she'd confessed…when she'd talked about "Dream Naru" he'd thought he'd felt the world fall apart beneath his feet. Gene hadn't moved on. Gene was acting as Mai's spirit guide. Mai was in love with Gene and didn't even realize it. He'd wanted the earth to open up and swallow him whole. But of course it hadn't, and he'd had to put on a kind expression and tell her that she'd be with Gene one day.

And then he'd left. He couldn't stay, couldn't look at her and wonder if she was still in love with Gene. He couldn't be around her anymore, constantly struggling with that battle inside of himself. It wasn't fair to him, and it wouldn't be fair to Mai. So he'd come home and subjected himself to this torture, because that had been the better of the two options.

Perhaps it was the spirit attuning to his own upset emotions, or perhaps he was just unlucky. The temperature in the room dropped to almost icy in a matter of seconds. He didn't even have to try the door to know that it was stuck solid. Noll looked up just in time to see the desks on one side of the room head straight toward him. He ducked, and narrowly missed getting plowed over by them.

He considered his options. He wasn't a medium, and the spirit was obviously too weak to appear in front of him. But it was also hostile, and he didn't know what had sparked its rage, so staying until it was through with its temper tantrum seemed pointless. Using his PK was so far out of the question he didn't even let the thought cross his mind. If Madoka saw even a hint of it he'd be back home and locked in his study until he was 75. That meant the only things he could do would be to try to reason with the spirit (unlikely) or wait until someone (Madoka) rescued him.

It was a few minutes before he heard the familiar sound of said paranormal researcher's hurried steps down the hallway. "Don't do anything stupid, Noll!" She yelled through the door. Oliver rolled his eyes. How much of an idiot did she seriously think he was?

He heard murmuring from the other side of the door. The rest of the "team." Noll sighed and waited for the spirit to kill him. By the time those dimwits did anything he'd be a pile of broken bones on the floor. Madoka was a talented investigator, but she certainly wasn't Lin.

 _"Go AWAY!"_ An eerie voice shouted. Noll gave a silent sigh. He hated ghosts with attitudes.

The chatter in the hallway died down as the idiots figured out that there was a ghost actively haunting them. Noll sighed loudly with impatience. "Any time now!" He called. The conversation resumed. Meanwhile, the desks continued to fly wildly all over the room, back and forth like some convoluted carnival attraction.

It was an abysmal twenty minutes before they got the door open and got the spirit to leave. By then Noll was angrier than the ghost, and they could see it. Madoka was even apologetic. He stood and shouldered past them all.

Madoka followed him to the base.

"Send them home." He ordered.

She sighed. "We can't do this by ourselves." She reminded him. But she hadn't yelled at him for saying that he wanted them all gone. That really said how terrible these "researchers" were. When even cheerful, accommodating Madoka couldn't stand you…there was a problem.

"We need their abilities." She reaffirmed.

Noll wasn't so sure he agreed.

* * *

Mai had many fears about moving half-way across the world for the next two years. Would her English be good enough? Would something happen to the plane on their way there? Would she make a complete idiot of herself and get kicked out of SPR and university? Her nightmares were practically never-ending.

As she sat at her desk in the SPR office and looked again at the piles and piles of paperwork that had sprouted from her desire to move, she decided she was going to have to add another fear to her list: death by paperwork. The piles just seemed to keep growing, no matter how much of it she finished up and sent off. Visa application. College application. Health and Medical paperwork. Residence paperwork. Double check here. Send this there. Mai wanted to tear her own hair out.

Her only comfort was that she wasn't entirely alone, Yasu was going through the exact same process she was. And she wasn't Ayako. The shrine maiden was having a hell of a time finalizing all of the paperwork and permits to open her own office in England. Her parents had apparently been incredibly supportive of the idea, but less helpful when it came to actually seeing it happen.

Bou-san, Masako and John all had much easier times of it. Masako's network paid for everything and handled all of her paperwork, John's paperwork was completed through the church, and Bou-san's day job was being a bassist in a band so he didn't have to worry about any school or business paperwork.

So while she, Yasu and Ayako spent long hours slaving over their respective rivers of paperwork, the other three were free to spend their time on whatever they wanted. Mai had been pleasantly surprised to find that John and Maskao seemed to be spending a good deal of time together. Masako had explained that John had been asked to go to England a while back and Masako had liked the idea so much that she'd convinced her parents and her network to allow her to go abroad as well. Mai had had a lot of fun teasing the medium about her _crush_ on John. But to Mai's disappointment, Masako had been adamant that her going to England had less than nothing to do with any supposed feelings for the priest.

Bou-san was spending his days practicing his English and had asked John to help him. Ayako had apparently started joining in on their sessions and Yasu had taken extra English classes at the university. Masako's parents had apparently hired her a private tutor for the job. Mai had technically been taking English classes since primary school, but she'd never been a particularly good student of the language.

When she'd made the decision to continue in the field of parapsychology she'd started taking more English because most of the material she found was in that language. And when she'd wanted to make things even more interesting, one of her professors had suggested she take French. She'd been hesitant at first, but after only about eight months she felt much more comfortable with the language. And she really enjoyed its melodic tones.

So she couldn't do anything about the possibility of a plane crash or a hundred other fears like it, but she knew she was setting herself up for success with the language classes and she'd even been reading more books in her spare moments. There was still another few weeks before they were due to arrive in England, but she felt the need to cram as much knowledge and experience into her brain as she could in that amount of time.

She had shoved away her feelings for Dr. Oliver Davis a long time ago, but she also didn't want to make a complete fool of herself in front of him and his colleagues. People she desperately wanted to impress, because they were some of the best minds in the field of parapsychology and she really did love her work. The fact that the man she had once loved happened to be among was irrelevant. At least that's what she kept telling herself.

In three short weeks she would be on English soil, and despite all of her inner turmoil and fears, she was confident that this would be one of the best experiences of her life. And she couldn't wait to show everyone what kind of parapsychological researcher she was, _Naru_ included.

* * *

Lin's plane had touched down a little while ago. He'd thought that Madoka would come to pick him up, but instead it had been Luella and Martin.

"She's on a case with Noll." The professor had explained.

"So Noll didn't retreat back into his shell?" Lin asked, surprised.

"No. He came to me practically begging to go on a case right after Madoka told him that you two were now _engaged._ " Martin admitted, smiling at his Chinese friend.

Lin had known that they would want to go down this path. To forestall any further questions or hints, he pulled the small ring box out of his coat pocket and held it out for the older couple to see.

"Ohh!" Luella gasped in delight. "It's perfect, Lin! She's going to love it!"

"Congratulations!" Martin beamed.

Lin thanked them soberly. "When will they be back?" He asked. Now that he was actually back on English soil, he found that his nerves had practically jumped ship. He just wanted to get the awkwardness of asking out of the way with.

"Hopefully tomorrow." Martin said. "They were supposed to have been done yesterday, but there've been some issues with the team dynamics that have slowed them down."

Lin translated that to: _Noll's being his usual narcissistic self and the team isn't liking it and won't do what he tells them to so they've yet to solve the case._ He knew that the team that had been assigned to Noll was made up of a lot of newer members of SPR. A couple of them were unused to the scientific approach that the research foundation utilized, and he knew that Noll never did well with "incompetent fools," but Lin also felt a little sympathy for them. Oliver Davis was a genius, but he wasn't the easiest person to get along with.

But still, the fact that Noll had wanted to go on another case was progress. Lin had wondered if his young charge really would accept another so soon, especially if Noll indeed believed that they had planned the first one to be a false alarm. The relationship between the higher-ups at SPR and Oliver Davis was not as cordial as it once had been. Many of the head researchers of the facility felt that they had almost lost an invaluable asset when Noll had fled to Japan. Now that he was back there were plenty who would do anything they could to keep the young man safe in the confines of the building or his home.

Lin decided to worry about Oliver when he next saw the young man. For now he wanted to do everything he could to make his proposal to Madoka as perfect as possible. Luella and Martin dropped him off at her apartment (with a few pointed suggestions on Luella's part) and then he set to work.

* * *

Madoka was _tired_. Beyond tired…soul weary, spirit-crushing, despondent, energy-less tired. All she wanted to do was crawl into bed and sleep for the next week and a half, but first, she knew she owed Lin an explanation.

She'd felt relieved when she'd gotten his text earlier that he'd arrived safely. It had been her motivation to keep them all working through the night to isolate and then exorcise the spirit. Well, that and she was afraid that if she kept the group together much longer, Noll would lose control of his temper and do something irreversibly stupid. Not that she would have blamed him. She was planning on having a long talk with Martin about what teams he assigned her from now on.

The lights were on at her apartment, and Madoka was surprised. Lin had to be exhausted from the jet lag. What could he possibly still be doing up at this hour? She left her suitcase in the car, figuring she'd deal with all of that mess in the morning. She grabbed her purse and locked the vehicle, before moving wearily into the building.

When she unlocked the door to her apartment, she saw why the lights were still on. Her heart stuttered in her chest. There were _sakura_ petals strew all over the floor, leading in an obvious trail. And candles. So many candles. Her pulse rate shot through the roof.

She gently shut the door and placed her purse on the small table in the entranceway, before following the tiny petals through her apartment and into the bedroom. She paused just outside the doorway, trying to compose herself. She knew what this was, what was coming, and she could barely contain her elation. But she still wanted to be dignified about it. Or at least, not a sobbing, blubbering mess.

The bedroom was bedecked in candles. It seemed like every empty surface had a candle on it. Madoka gasped. The cherry blossom petals ended at the foot of her bed. There, written in Lin's elegant calligraphy was a simple, two-word message. _Marry me?_

Tears spilled from her eyes. "Well?" Lin's deep voice asked from behind her. Madoka was amused to hear the slight tremble of nerves in his tone.

"Just one question first." Madoka said, swiping at her eyes. "You aren't just asking because we're supposed to be fooling Noll, are you?"

Lin rolled his eyes in impatience. "Madoka." He said, exasperated.

She grinned. And kissed him. "That's what I thought." She whispered, after coming up for air.

He laughed softly. "Is this a yes?" He asked. Despite his gentle tone, his eyes were serious.

"Yes." She affirmed. "Yes. Yes. And Yes."

He laughed and pulled her in for another kiss. Madoka had never felt so happy in her life.

* * *

 **How about that proposal? Did it make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside? Because it did for me while I was writing it. :D Thank you for reading. Until next time!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry! I did not mean to let months go by before I updated! I didn't mean to make you guys wait so long. But, here it is, at long last: Chapter 7. We have landed, peeps.**

 **As always, favorite, follow and review if you like it (and even if you don't, I'd love to know what I can improve on). And now:**

* * *

Chapter 7

Mai gripped the hard plastic of the airport seat and tried to remind herself that she was stronger than some stupid irrational fear about airplanes. It didn't work. So instead she tried to quash those feelings by focusing on the others' conversation.

Ayako and Bou-san were fighting about who got what seat. Nothing new there. John was deep in conversation with Masako (in English, and Mai was immensely proud that she completely understood what they were saying). And Yasu…Yasu was staring at her like she'd sprouted horns.

"What?" She snapped.

He nodded. "Thought so." The young man turned the blonde priest and short medium beside him, effectively interrupting their conversation. "Don't you think so?"

John looked Mai over appraisingly. "Perhaps." He said, clearly uncertain.

"What?!" She demanded again.

Yasu held up a finger to silence her and then began searching through the small backpack he'd brought with him for the flight. He pulled out a small baggy of pills and held them out to her.

"What are you trying to drug me with?" Mai asked.

"Motion-sickness pills." John explained, apologetic.

"I don't need them." Mai assured them both.

"Have you seen your face?" Yasu asked. And then: "Oh. Yeah, no mirror. Guess you wouldn't. Well, you look like a ghost, and I would know that because I hunt them."

"But not see them." Masako chipped in, hiding a small smile. It was the first time in her life that Mai (or any of the others) and _not_ seen Masako in a kimono. Mai was still adjusting to the change, but she found that she liked it. And she had a feeling Masako did too. "You do look pale, Mai." Masako added.

"No." Mai said, ignoring their collective concern.

Yasu sighed. "Plan B, then." He said.

Mai snatched the plastic baggy out of Yasu's hand and went and stuffed it in the trash. "No means no." She replied, unfazed by the five stunned faces before her.

"What if you get sick in-flight?" Ayako demanded, suddenly angry.

"That was all of my pills!" Yasu added right after.

"I'll deal with it." Mai replied curtly. "And if you saved your receipt Yasu I'll reimburse you."

It was not the response any of them had been expecting. Mai felt pleased. She wanted them to understand that she wasn't going to show any weakness, not while they were in England, and definitely not in front of Oliver Davis. And this way she'd gotten the message across loud and clear.

The rest of the wait was uneventful, but Mai didn't miss the constant glances in her direction from all five of her companions. The others returned to their conversations, and Mai was left alone with her thoughts. She could feel their concern and uncertainty. She pretended she didn't notice, didn't care, hoping that if she did it long enough it might actually become true.

* * *

The overall air of cheer and goodwill in the house was too stifling for Noll's unsociable nature to handle. Hence his frequent retreats to the garden, where he sat out on a bench in the sun and tried very hard to ignore the pointless events going on around him.

Lin and Madoka had officially announced their betrothal the day they got back from the case, and Luella had of course started peppering them with questions. Noll had effectively managed to tune most of that out, until Luella and Martin both offered to host the wedding there. Then all hell had broken loose.

The house was filled to the brim with odd people day in and out. Florists and bakers and other odd people Noll had no association with. Unable to stand it, he'd fled, returning every few hours for food and restroom breaks before again fleeing to the tranquility of the garden.

As a man of science, when Noll looked at the various vegetation around him he recognized them by their scientific name, their usefulness, and any other host of interesting qualities. He didn't look to them for beauty for peace, but he found as the days passed that he did see it, perhaps not in the way normal people did, but he could understand the aesthetics behind the action.

The _sakura_ tree was what did. He knew that. Admitted it freely to himself. It reminded him of Japan. Reminded him, unwillingly, of Mai. It made him wonder where she was, what she was doing. Sometimes he considered asking Lin or Madoka if they'd kept in touch with anyone from Japan, but then he'd dismiss the idea as foolish and go back to starring at the tree.

Spring was a good two months away yet, so there were no blossoms, but that didn't stop Noll from wanting to see them, to see the physical, tangible connection to a place he missed more than he could express.

He decided, completely out the blue, one afternoon, that he would go back to Japan. Not right away. There was no chance of that, between his mother and father and the SPR management hanging over his head. But one day he was going to go back, and he was going to find Mai and make sure that she was doing okay. And the others too, of course.

* * *

The dreams were coming more and more frequently, and in consequence Lin got less and less sleep. He'd done his best to hide it from Madoka, but he knew he'd failed when he woke up in the middle of the night and found her already awake and staring at him with a strange look of determination and concentration.

She'd only said one word. "Spill." And he had.

He'd been cautious to remind her that it meant absolutely nothing, that he wasn't Mai or Masako Hara were. And he'd done his best to remain clinically detached from the experience as possible. He failed, of course. It was Gene.

"What do you think it means?" She asked.

"I wish I knew." He said.

"I suppose telling Martin, Luella and Noll is completely out the question?" She said, cracking a half smile.

"I don't want to add to their pain." He admitted.

"It's a good thing that one Masako Hara and one Mai Taniyama are going to be here soon, then isn't it?" Madoka replied.

He nodded. It was a good idea, mostly. "Masako only. I don't want to involve Mai."

Madoka nodded in understanding. Although she hated to see Mai so unhappy about Noll, she couldn't blame the young psychic. Noll could be a pain in the ass on a good day. And Madoka doubted Mai would consider meeting him again a good thing.

"Are we inviting them to the wedding?" Lin asked.

Madoka frowned. "We definitely should." She said, "but if Noll doesn't know about everyone by the time of the ceremony…"

Lin sighed. "If Noll doesn't know the truth seven months from now then he's a much greater idiot than I ever anticipated and we'll have to take all of his PhDs away."

Madoka laughed until she cried at the idea. Lin smiled, and hoped Noll pulled himself together.

* * *

Luella went alone to the airport. Martin, Lin and Madoka had all offered to accompany her, but she'd declined them all. Lin and Madoka needed to focus on each other, and Martin had to keep an eye on her son.

They came out of the gate some half an hour after their plane had landed. Luella wasn't surprised. She'd heard that a few storms in the Channel had made things more difficult.

Lin had helpfully provided her with pictures of each of the members of SPR that she didn't know. Luella didn't think she'd need them. She could tell who was who based off of the descriptions the Chinese man and his fiancé had given her.

She already knew Ayako and Takigawa, they came first, already searching the crowd for her or Lin or Madoka. The two young men were obvious to identify, the blonde priest and be-speckled Japanese man made an unmistakable contrast. The two young women that trailed behind them were much harder to distinguish, but only as long as it took for Luella to see their facial expressions. The lighter-haired young woman was talking and laughing freely, moving excitedly and animatedly. That was definitely Mai Taniyama. The other young woman was reserved and cautious, and Luella decided that she was the famous Japanese medium after a little longer look.

Confident that she knew who was who, Luella made her way through the crowd to her guests. She had a lot of explaining to do. Most of all to Mai.

Ayako and Takigawa greeted her warmly, but formally and introduced her to the rest of the group. Luella did not miss the blatant shift in Mai's mood. The smile and ease were gone, replaced by a wary caution masked by calm politeness.

"Thank you all for coming." She said. "I cannot imagine the sacrifices you have made to come here and I just want you to know that I appreciate it beyond words. I would like to say that my son would appreciate it as well, but I believe you all know him, and so that lie won't work." They agreed, laughing. Luella noted how Mai's posture and facial muscles tightened at the mention of Noll and sighed inwardly. Noll had certainly done a number on her.

"Martin has arranged for all of you to begin your work with SPR on Monday, so the weekend is yours to do with as you please. Mai, Yasuhara, I'm afraid you both begin classes on Monday. The new term begins and it's mandatory for all students. Martin has arranged it with the school that you'll each have four weeks of "work-leave" to use throughout the semester, but only with Martin's written permission." Yasuhara looked understandably displeased by this development, but Mai actually looked _relieved._ Luella frowned.

"Now that all that formal business is taken care of, I've arranged for cars to take you to your apartment complex, where Lin and Madoka will be waiting to show you around and make sure you get settled in. I wish I could stay and see you all safely back, but I'm afraid I have some work to take care of." Luella explained. She led them out to the cars, made sure that they all had their luggage and that their currency exchanges had gone correctly. She waved as both cars took off and then retreated to her own, determined to get this all into motion sooner rather than later.

* * *

Yasu collapsed onto his unmade bed in his unfurnished apartment and allowed exhaustion its victory. He'd never felt so tired in his life, and he often stayed up late staring at computer screens looking for ghosts.

He dimly heard Takigawa in the room next door moving around. Didn't that man ever feel tired? Yasu sighed and covered his ears, hoping to drown out the noise long enough to fall asleep.

Except he couldn't sleep. He laid there and laid there, but no sleep would come. Frustrated he sat up and stared at the blank walls, searching for something to help him go to sleep. Nothing came to mind.

Defeated, he got up and went to the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea. He'd packed the box at Ayako's suggestion. She'd told him before he'd left that this might happen, but he hadn't really believed her until that moment.

John came and joined him not long after. Takigawa was snoring loudly from his own room, much to both of their amusement. The girls were all in the apartment above them, no doubt already blissfully asleep.

"Do you think we made the right choice?" John asked abruptly.

Yasu considered. "I guess that depends on how things go with Mai and Naru." He replied. Sure. They'd all come out here for their own personal reasons. And they'd all get something out of the experience no matter what happened, but all of them knew that they'd really come all the way to England because Noll needed to be broken out of his own mental prison, and because Mai needed to face her demons.

There was no way to know exactly how things were going to turn out (though Yasu judged that they all hoped for a favorable outcome, based on the betting pool he'd started before they'd left. The estimates on the pairs impending engagement ranged from three months to a year and a half.) but it was clear to all of them that before this was through, things were going to change.

* * *

 **I know, shorter sections than usual. Shorter overall, actually. But I felt really bad about waiting so long to update, so I went ahead and did this one. I'd love to say I'm going to update again soon, but I don't know that for sure, so I guess I'll just warn you guys that it might be a while before I get a chance to update again. :(  
**

 **Until Next Time**


	8. Chapter 8

**I'm back! The story continues! Please enjoy!**

* * *

Chapter 8

John had to admit that it felt disorienting to be back in a country where English was the primary language. It was almost laughable, how foreign his native tongue sounded coming out of his own mouth. Sure, he'd spent the last few months helping the others with their English, but there'd always been a mix of English and Japanese in there. Now, there was just English. Everywhere. He read English-only signs and saw hundreds of blonde haired, blue eyed people like himself. He really couldn't help the laughter that erupted.

Masako gave him a confused look. He calmed down. "What's so funny?" She asked. Her English was nearly perfect. Just the barest hint of an accent around the "L's" and "R's." If he hadn't known better, he'd of guessed she'd been living in England for a decade or better.

"I'm just laughing at how weird it is to hear English again." He explained. She raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment. How could he explain the feeling in words when he didn't even understand it all himself?

"So where do you want to go first?" She asked. They were sitting at a small café not too far from their apartment complex. Mai and Yasu had taken off a couple of hours ago to go exploring and Ayako and Takigawa had gotten into an argument about…well, John wasn't even sure. He'd offered to go with Masako exploring. She'd loved that idea. Or she'd really wanted to get away from the arguing miko and monk. Either way, it worked out well for him.

"I don't care." He shrugged. "London is full of amazing history and attractions, we could probably spend an entire month exploring and still not see everything!"

"Well, let's start with the Tower." Masako said. She had that look in her eyes. John smiled.

"We're supposed to be on vacation for the next couple of days." He pointed out.

She shrugged. "I'm not going there to exorcise ghosts, I've just always wanted to see the Crown Jewels, and that's where they're kept." She protested.

John chuckled. She wasn't lying to him, he knew that, but she hadn't been entirely truthful to herself either.

* * *

Noll was going bonkers. He was nearly sure of it. That or he really was spending too much time by that damned cherry tree.

In a desperate bid to get out of the house (and to find a measure of quiet) he'd offered to run down to the office to collect some papers for his father. On his way their he'd had to stop at a stoplight. When he'd looked around he'd see a young man and woman sitting at a café, a very familiar looking young man and young woman who should have been thousands of miles away.

He hadn't gotten a long look, or even a good one. And there was every possibility he was just imagining things, but he could have sworn he'd seen John Brown and Masako Hara. Impossible. The light had turned green and the car behind him had honked in impatience. He seriously considered turning the car around and going back to verify the truth for himself.

By the time he'd arrived at his father's office and collected the requisite materials he'd come to his senses. Just because he'd seen a short blond young man and a petite foreign looking girl, it didn't mean he'd seen his old acquiantances…coworkers… _friends_. A part of his mind argued. He told that part of himself to shut up. Oliver Davis did not do _friendship._

Besides, the young woman was wearing Western clothing, and Noll had seen pictures of Masako when she'd visited foreign countries. She'd always worn a kimono. It was flimsy proof, easily refutable, but not improbable either. He decided to accept the hypothesis. At least until other data could be found to verify or disprove it.

It was a logical approach, and Noll was able to use it to convince himself that he'd just been spending too much time thinking of the past lately, too much time dwelling on Japan. It worked, to a degree.

The house was miraculously silent when he pulled into the drive. No cars or delivery fans or strangers. Not another living (or dead) soul around. He checked.

Madoka and Lin must have left not long after he'd fled, not unusual considering all the running around the pair seemed to manage in-between their day jobs, but his mother was also gone, and that _was_ unusual. Luella worked an irregular schedule, constantly meeting with patients and potential patients as needed, but she'd been absent more often than usual lately. Nothing overtly stuck out to the perceptive scientist, other than that single fact. Noll might have been willing to let it go at that. Might have been able to categorize it as something hormonal on his mother's part, or a work-related incident. But then he got home and found his father in his study. Again, not an unusual occurrence.

But Noll had worked closely with his adoptive father for many years now, and he'd learned to observe his behavior. One thing he'd always valued was how well his father had always managed to contain his emotions, be they good or bad. When he entered his father's study to give him the documents, he found his father practically _skipping_ from excitement.

"Oh, Noll!" His father said, flushing. "I didn't realize you'd come home so soon."

"What good news have I missed now?" Noll asked, ignoring the obvious and unimportant statement.

"Oh," his father laughed. "Nothing too destabilizing, I promise. Just some new workers that'll be joining me at the office on Monday."

Noll didn't comment. He just raised an eyebrow. Usually that had the desired effect and his father (or whoever his intended target was) would trip over themselves trying to give a coherent explanation. A memory popped into his head of using the expression on Mai quite a lot. The recollection almost made him smile.

But there was a slight hiccup in Noll's plan. His father had already taken the papers Noll had proffered and was no longer looking at him. Ergo his fail-proof method for getting information was useless. Annoyed, he let his father be.

Whatever was going on, he'd figure it out eventually.

* * *

Mai was _exhausted._ She felt like one of the time-worn souls she spent so many of days exorcising and helping pass on.

When Yasu had suggested that they use some of their precious free time to go and see the sights before school started back up, Mai hadn't thought twice about it. They were in a new country and she wanted to get as much of the sights in as humanly possible.

And for the first few hours, everything had been fine. She'd had to drag Yasu away from multiple girls he'd been trying to hit on, but she did that in Japan too, so nothing new there. They'd walked most of the major streets of London and went to see Big Ben and a host of other tourist traps, and she'd figured they'd end the day like the responsible adults they were supposed to be by going back to their apartment building and getting some sleep before they had to get up and get ready for classes on Monday morning.

She'd forgotten she was dealing with Yasuhara. It was a mistake she swore to herself she'd never make again. After the tiring day of walking the city (coupled with the leftover jet lag they'd all been experiencing), she'd been thoroughly ready to go home, but then Yasu had pleaded for a stop at a small out of the way pub. She'd reluctantly agreed. What could one drink hurt, anyway?

Well, one, probably not much. But Yasuhara didn't have an off switch. He couldn't ever shut up, and he didn't know when to say "no." Thus leading to Mai's exhausting five hours at the pub listening to her friend trading increasingly wilder stories with the other men around. By hour four she'd been ready to just ditch him and go back solo, but then she'd remembered they were in a foreign country, and she'd feel bad if something happened to her friend. So she'd unhappily stayed until she could finally drag her inebriated friend off the bar stool and back to their apartment.

Her only saving grace was that no one outside their small circle of friends ever need now what had happened. It wasn't much, but she figured things could be a lot worse. Mr. and Mrs. Davis could find out, for example. _That_ would be unbearable.

She dragged Yasu back into their apartment building and hollered for Takigawa to take over, which the monk did with a great deal of grumbling. Wiped out, Mai turned into the apartment she shared with Masako and Ayako and imagined herself falling into her wonderful bed and sleeping until the end of the month.

That plan almost died as soon as she opened the door and found herself face to face with Lin, Madoka, John and Masako Hara. Ayako, strangely enough, was nowhere to be seen.

"Welcome back, Mai." John said, smiling. "Did you and Yasu have fun?"

"Yeah." Mai replied. "A little too much, I think."

The others smiled, clearly guessing what had happened. "Sit down and have a cup of tea with us." Madoka offered.

Mai shook her head. "Thanks, but I'm drained. I'll talk to you all later."

They all said their polite farewells and Mai slipped into her bedroom, skirting two suitcases full of her life and another four boxes full of books that she'd had shipped over from Japan. She collapsed onto her bed and wrapped herself into a blanket. She needed to sleep, but she was afraid to, because then she would be one day closer to school…in London. And one step closer to seeing Oliver Davis again. Despite all of her confidence in her improved education, she was not fully prepared to face the egotistical, narcissistic scientist.

* * *

Madoka watched Mai leave, almost sighing in relief that they'd changed topics just before Mai had come in. If she'd heard what they'd been talking about…Madoka didn't even want to contemplate the damage that would have done.

Lin had wanted to wait before approaching Masako about their…issues, but Madoka had insisted that they do it as soon as possible. If it was real, if somehow Gene had found a way…she couldn't bear to leave him where ever he was for a moment longer than was necessary.

Masako and John had both been understandably floored when Lin had described his dreams to them, but neither of them had dismissed the occurrences out of hand. Madoka was relieved. As terrible as it was, she'd found herself with hope… hope that there might again one day soon be laughter and happiness in the Davis household.

Masako recommended Lin start writing down his dreams, or perhaps filming them, and working to find as many details within them that could be used to verify if the dream was just that, or something more. It was much the same as what Lin had considered doing on his own, she knew. Madoka suspected the main reason he hadn't was because he was too afraid to acknowledge that the dreams could be true just as much as they could not.

Whichever turned out to be the case, Madoka guessed that they were all in for an emotional roller coaster ride. The only thing she knew for sure was that she would be by Lin's side through all of it.

* * *

Somehow, someway, Takigawa found himself on almost-sort-of-maybe date(?) with a red-headed priestess. Nothing elaborate. Nothing even technically "date-worthy" in the Miko's eyes, but it was just the two of them. And a movie. He wasn't expecting anything to happen, but he figured they weren't arguing, so he must be doing something right. It might have even been a good (first?) date, if not for Mai's dumping a very intoxicated Yasu outside his door and ordering him to take care of the boy.

There went his evening, he thought. He had no doubt that Ayako would probably take off, after all, who would want to stick around and look after a drunk Yasuhara? A sober one was enough trouble all on his own.

But he was wrong. She did stay. Even offered to stay until John got back so he wasn't stuck on his own. It was a rare moment between them. No anger or frustration, no problems. He smiled and thanked her. And she smiled back.

Perhaps, he decided, things might be looking up in England.

 **I have been slowly chipping away at this thing for _months._ I'm glad it's finally done. I'd like to say I'll be able to post again very soon, but my schedule seems to always be crazy these days. Don't worry though, I _willi update. Eventually. Someday..._**

 ** _Don't worry, I'm not going to keep dragging out the Mai-Noll moment for much longer. Another chapter, possibly two, if I'm feeling particularly cruel (XD)._**

 ** _As always thank you all for your continued support. Faves, Follows and Reviews are always welcome. Until next time, my friends._**


	9. Chapter 9

**Wow. I cannot believe it's been almost a year since I updated this! I'm so sorry! It really doesn't feel like it's been that long, but then, life has a tendency of getting in the way, doesn't it? Please enjoy Chapter 9. Yes, Oliver meets some members of his old team in this one.**

* * *

Chapter 9

She really ought to look more nervous, Yasu thought. Mai strolled into the classroom in front of him like she'd been there a thousand times before. She smiled and greeted their classmates with generous smiles and kind words.

She really had grown, in the past couple of years. There were still traces of the old Mai, but now she'd lost a lot of her more immature habits, and she'd cured a great deal of her ignorance. Not just in the field of parapsychology, but also in many others as well. Oliver Davis wouldn't know what hit him. That thought made Yasu smile.

Madoka was guest lecturing for their first class. He slipped behind Mai and went up to her quietly.

"Well…do you think _he_ knows yet?" He asked. None of the other students nearby seemed to care about their conversation, but Yasu knew to be cautious. Oliver Davis was a household name in this lecture hall.

"Here soon, I imagine." Madoka replied. Yasu didn't miss how her grin widened. His did too.

"Is it too much to ask that someone get his reaction on camera?" He wondered casually.

"Don't worry." She assured him. "I already bribed a couple of the newbies to make sure to have cameras on and recording when the momentous event occurs. I'll send it to you later tonight." She promised. Their professor called the class to order so Yasu winked at the red-headed woman and meandered back toward Mai.

"Madoka says 'hi'" He informed her as he plopped into the cushion auditorium chair beside her.

"Oh. That's nice of her." Mai said. She sounded pleased, but tightly so. Yasu couldn't say he was surprised. Lately anyone who mentioned anything even remotely connected to one narcissistic paranormal researcher got that type of response. She was so on edge about meeting him…Yasu just sighed and turned his concentration to their lecture. He couldn't exactly afford to start failing his classes on his first day.

* * *

For all intents and purposes it was a typical day at the British Society of Paranormal Research. Cases came in, were preliminarily reviewed and occasionally assigned an investigation team. Said teams worked in large conference spaces, reviewing every detail of each case again and again, and if the results seemed promising enough, they went to the field team supervisor, and eventually onto a field team for actual investigation.

8:45 am. The new field team was due to arrive in fifteen minutes. Lin made the last-minute decision to join Martin in greeting them. Noll was still no doubt safely ensconced behind walls of paperwork in his office and would not come until ordered.

"Lin." Martin greeted, as the tall Chinese man entered the briefing room.

"Professor." He said, giving a polite nod.

"Ready for the show?" The greying Englishman asked with a conspiratorial wink.

"Soon." Lin assured him.

A couple of the new interns came scurrying in. They were there on Madoka's orders, he knew. He wasn't about to participate in her hare-brained scheme, but that didn't mean he was going to interfere either. They spent several minutes debating over where to place their cameras to get the best picture of everything. He shook his head.

"Set them up over there." He said, gesturing to the small cameras they held. So much for not participating. He nodded toward a nondescript bookshelf on the far side of the room. Wide-eyed, they thanked him and hurried off to place them.

The group from Japan came in moments later. They were polite and subdued, Lin noted with amusement. Lin introduced everyone to Noll's adoptive father.

"Welcome, welcome." Martin said, enthusiastically shaking hands as he greeted each of them. He told Masako he'd seen some of her work and was very impressed. She thanked him politely and replied that she was intrigued by some of his latest research.

"Well then," Martin said with an impish grin, "Shall we call in the guest of honor."

The others' smiles echoed his own. Lin rose to go and get the requisite young man, but Martin waved him back down. "Stay." Martin said.

The professor turned to the two interns. "Will one of you please go and fetch my erstwhile son please? Tell him I need him in the briefing room. Immediately." He paused for a moment. "Oh, and you may wish to drop the word 'case.'" The younger of the two scurried off.

Lin eyed his watch. On an obstinate day, it could take Oliver Davis at least half an hour to answer his father's bidding. It would be interesting to see what today's timing would be.

In the meantime, Martin struck up a conversation with the group about any particularly interesting cases that they'd worked on. This, Lin found, they had in abundance. Despite his attempts to stay aloof and keep an eye on his watch, he found himself as intrigued by some of the cases the group described as the professor obviously was.

John was in the process of describing the details of a case where a spirit kept decapitating people at random, when they heard a familiar set of footsteps down the hall. The tension in the room was like syrup. Thick and sticky, and sweet with anticipation.

The door knob twisted. Oliver Davis entered the room in typical Oliver fashion: with a calm arrogance and pervading hatred of stupidity. Clearly the intern had told him that the new field team had arrived. Thankfully no one had known their identities to spill this most important of secrets. He was still bitter over the last team, so Lin was inclined to believe that this was a direct result of that.

Oh, would he be surprised.

* * *

Oliver stopped in the doorway, processing the sight before him. The new team wasn't new at all. And he wasn't crazy. That was a relief.

Four familiar faces that he'd left years ago turned to face him at once. There were smiles and smirks around the room, including on his father's and Lin's faces.

They all looked remarkably unchanged, which he supposed made sense. It hadn't been that long since he'd last seen them. It just felt like it. He'd noticed Mai's absence almost immediately. Like a puzzle missing a piece. The scene was incomplete. He didn't dare comment on it, though.

Takigawa stood. "Hello, Dr. Davis. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Houshou Takigawa. I'll be working with you from now on." He spoke in solid, barely accented English. The long-haired monk stuck his hand out.

Oliver scowled at him. "Very funny, monk."

Takigawa's eyebrow went up, but his smile didn't waver. "I'm sorry, have we met? I think I'd remember meeting such a famous man as yourself." He paused. "Though, now that I think about it, you do remind me of an arrogant little prat I once knew. He was so narcissistic, it became his nickname." Laughter bounced around the room, shared by his father.

"So. You're the new team." He said, ignoring the monk and his outstretched hand.

"Forgive me, Professor Davis, but your son has truly terrible manners." Takigawa exclaimed.

Martin nodded. "Yes. We've tried everything, but he just can't help himself, I'm afraid. My student, Madoka, has made it her life's mission to see him act politely. And I believe my son has made it his mission to thwart her at every turn." More laughter.

Noll scowled, and took an empty seat near the end of the table, next to John. The priest smiled. "Hello again, Dr. Davis."

"John." Noll acknowledged. He turned to his father. "I was told there was a case." He said, pointedly.

Martin sighed. "You know, when one hasn't seen old friends in many years, it's polite to spend some time catching up. Maybe ask them what they've been doing."

Oliver just stared at his father. "You just said I don't have any manners." He pointed out.

Martin shook his head. "We'll have to have you all over for dinner this evening." Martin said, addressing their guests. "So that my son can attempt to make up for his rudeness." He nodded at Lin to begin the briefing.

Lin shook his head at his young charge's rude behavior, and did as the professor asked.

The case was a standard kind of one – minor accidents and the usual signs, but nothing truly macabre or intriguing. In a word: boring. Oliver ground his teeth as Lin went on and on, describing a case that he _knew_ would be worse than the last one. And that was saying something.

It wasn't long before he tuned the Chinese man out entirely. He turned his attention to studying his new – old – team. Physically, they hadn't changed much. Masako Hara was wearing _pants_ , but that was the only significant change that caught his eye. But when he glanced at their eyes, he saw very different people. When he watched Takigawa and Miss Matsuzaki exchange a couple of pointed, understanding looks, heard their polite, considered comments to each other, he realized that the relationships and mental states of these people must have shifted dramatically. He wasn't sure he knew how to deal with a world where the monk and the shrine maiden weren't always at each other's throats.

He tried to avoid thinking about that void in the room, but it kept drawing him back like a gaping wound – he was too intrigued to look away. He wanted to know where she was. If she was here, or still in Japan. Was she…happy? And perhaps most disturbing at all…was she in a seeing someone?

He kept his ears perked in case the words "Mai" or "Taniyama" ever entered the conversation, but they never did. It frightened him, that they never mentioned her. It made him wonder if she was no longer a part of the team. If she'd moved on from it all and had never looked back after he left. He didn't like that thought. Mai belonged _here._ At this table, with these people. In the field of parapsychology. With him.

When the briefing was concluded, Noll stood abruptly. Six faces stared at him with amused acceptance. "I need to get back to work." He snapped, aiming for the door.

"Don't forget, dinner tonight!" Martin called after him. "If you're not at the house promptly at five, I will make Lin physically drag you home!"

Noll didn't bother to respond to the threat. He wasn't planning on being late anyway. Because, it was possible, dimly so, that his former assistant might just be at this dinner tonight. And he wasn't willing to miss that.

* * *

Masako watched the great Oliver Davis storm out of the room like a tired, angry toddler, and saw her amused grin mirrored on the faces of everyone else in the room. Professor Davis seemed relieved by their amusement. She wondered how much the Professor knew about his son's time in Japan.

Lin – to everyone's shock – offered to give them a tour of the facility. They all hopped up to follow and thanked the Professor for his time and for accepting them into SPR. The jovial older man waved off their gratitude and instead asked that they look after his son. He said it in a joking, light manner, but no one was fooled. Oliver Davis needed saving from himself.

She ended up taking the place of honor just behind the Chinese man, and as they strolled and he talked, she found her mind wandering back to his strange confession a few nights ago. Dreams of seeing Oliver's dead twin as a toddler. She'd confirmed that the spirit had moved on. News which had seemed to relieve Lin, but that was as far as her expertise had gone. The rest was just conjecture.

Certainly it was common to have dreams of departed loved ones. Especially right after their demise. But this was years later. There wasn't a solid reason that he should be dreaming of the young man now. She'd wondered if perhaps it was because Lin had had some emotional or physical trauma that had brought that grief back in full force, but as far as Masako could tell, he seemed happier than he'd ever been in Japan. It was a puzzle without any clues.

Reoccurring dreams, particularly ones like his where the subject matter rarely varied, often indicate information that the subconscious is trying to tell the dreamer. Even psychic dreams are done with purpose – to show key information or to explain an event or situation. And while this strange dream of Lin's certainly seemed to be of the informational variety, it was frustratingly devoid of any actual information. Nothing the child said made sense. The whole thing made no sense.

Not even John had been able to offer any insight into the odd situation. He agreed that it was likely something Lin's conscious was trying to tell the man, but he'd been just as lost as she was. Madoka had wondered if perhaps the dream was Oliver's brother's spirit communicating with an old mentor, but Masako doubted that was it. Lin, for all of his unique and powerful talents, had no such psychic or medium abilities, and it was virtually impossible that he would develop them this late in life.

They concluded the tour, and Lin left them to set up their individual offices, telling them that they'd go out for lunch with the professor and a few other key SPR individuals. Masako shook off the onmiyouji's puzzle and focused on settling into her new job. This puzzle would just have to unravel itself in time, she decided.

* * *

They'd stopped into a little café not far from the campus for lunch. Yasu was happily munching on a turkey club and Mai was perusing a new book she'd picked up for class. Yasu's phone beeped for the fifteenth time in ten minutes. She looked up to snap at him, but stopped when she saw the evil smile he was wearing.

"What?" She demanded, already dreading the answer.

He held out the phone to her. On the screen was a text from Takigawa – _dinner at the Davis' tonight. 5:30 pm._

She leaned back and shrugged nonchalantly, even as her blood thrummed in her ears. "So? It's not unusual that they'd want to meet us." They were still employees of SPR, after all.

"And you know that their famous son, Dr. Oliver Davis will be there too, right?" Yasu asked, grinning.

Mai smiled. "Dr. Oliver Davis a work-a-holic. You know that. I'll bet you 5000 yen that he doesn't even come."

The amused smirk slipped from Yasu's face. Mai cackled at that, and turned back to her book. Or at least pretended to.

"Alright." Yasu said, a minute later.

Mai looked up, confused. "Alright, what?" She asked.

"I'll take that bet. 5000 yen."

"Fine. I want cash. Tonight." She shot back. She wanted Yasu to think she was unaffected, but she knew, deep down, that she really wasn't. Still, she was getting good at putting aside the emotions that didn't help and focusing on the ones that got her through whatever situation she was currently in. Usually it was a vicious haunting, but sometimes the way things had ended with _Naru_ overwhelmed her, and she found the same technique still applied.

Whether or not Dr. Oliver Davis was at dinner tonight, she would put on that mask and pretend that she didn't care for him anymore. That he was just a colleague, a notable intellect, in the same field. And maybe, just maybe, she could even make it true.

Whatever happened tonight, Dr. Oliver Davis wouldn't know what hit him. She'd make sure of that. He may have thought her ignorant, perhaps even idiotic, once upon a time. Now, he would acknowledge her, and she would take that as enough and move on with her life.

Well, it was a beautiful lie, at least.

* * *

 **Truth be told, I haven't even started Chapter 10 yet. Which is odd. I usually at least have the next chapter started by the time I post the previous one, but I felt really bad seeing how long it's been, so I broke my own rules. I'll try to get it out in _less_ than a year this time.  
**

 **I do know that the next chapter will be picking up with that nerve-wracking dinner I mentioned. Don't know which POV character yet, but more than likely Mai or Noll. Just haven't decided between the two yet.**

 **As always, I greatly appreciate the support and endeavor to correct any criticisms or errors, so please, review, favorite and follow. Until next time!**


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